Ghost of a Chance
by j3nnee
Summary: Peter sees Neal killed during a case. Despite knowing his friend died he keeps feeling something, hearing Neal's voice. Is he just hallucinating? Whump. Season 1/2 spoilers possible. Angst. Supernatural/Paranormal themes.
1. Chapter 1

**(Chapter 1)**

Neal glanced down at his anklet and had a moment of regret, his mind wandering to a time when he was free to roam where he wanted and Kate was at his side. He sighed, looking up when he sensed someone suddenly standing beside his desk.

"Penny for your thoughts..." Peter stood there, his white shirt no longer white as he dabbed at a small coffee stain. Elizabeth was going to scold him for spilling coffee on a practically new shirt, Neal thought as he glanced up and shook his head.

"I prefer priceless antiquities but whatever floats your boat, Peter." He grinned charmingly upwards, the agent frowning in mock annoyance.

"Uh huh... I bet you do. So, any news from your contacts on that assignment I gave you?" Peter spoke as he glanced down at his shirt and continued to dab at the stain with a wet towel. Neal smirked, nodding his head as he pulled open a drawer and tossed something up to his friend. Peter just caught the small white pen and glanced it over.

"Stain away? You're kidding me. Neal... this stuff is a joke, right?" Peter was glancing at the detergent stain removal pen with an incredulous look as Neal shook his head.

"I'm surprised at you, Peter. El was the one who showed this to me. She gave me this one when I spilled something on a tie from Byron's collection. I felt so guilty because June had often told me how much that particular tie had meant to her late husband. I didn't want to tell her I had ruined it with a pasta stain but El used that pen on it and some water and less than 5 minutes later the stain was gone! It's a miracle and if your wife believes, so should you." He pushed the moral home and Peter just blinked at him and sighed.

"If you say so and I'll have to ask El about that. Here goes nothing." Peter removed the cap off the pen and sniffed at the felt looking tip. He cautiously dabbed it onto a small part of the stain and used the wet towel again. Slowly the stain started to fade and an obvious chunk was gone. Peter beamed.

"Wow, Neal. You're right. This is pretty cool!" He started to walk off with the pen in tow, Neal following.

"Peter, I want that back when you're done. I have to keep up appearances you know." He made a petulant face that brought a slight frown from Peter.

"You'll get it back. So anything new to offer me about this case. I'm still coming up blank with any locations or info. We need a stake out point Neal or the case against Gerald goes away." Peter was now soaking his stain with the pen and wiping at it with the still semi-wet cloth. Neal shook his head with a hapless shrug.

"Nothing. My contact promised me something by the end of today but so far it's been quiet." He followed Peter into the break room, both men grabbing up a cup of what the bureau called coffee. Neal made a face as he took a sip and saw Peter do the same.

"Well, now I know why you spilled it on your shirt rather than drank it." Neal quipped with a sarcastic smile. Peter smirked back, looking down at his now nearly white looking shirt again. He handed the detergent pen back to the consultant.

"Thank you, Neal." The agent smiled at him, a thoughtful look on his face. Neal was watching but the look quickly changed to business as if Peter were hiding something from him. Neal's cell suddenly rang in his pocket.

"I should get that." He excused himself around the corner a second, noting the number was Mozzie's.

"_It's impolite not to answer on the first ring._" Mozzie's voice was sarcastic, Neal rolling his eyes as he stood and listened.

"Hey Mozzie. I was with Peter. So... got anything for me?" Neal kept his voice low and peered to see that Peter was still in the break area. He heard a kind of sigh and then a reply.

"_It's only a possible site but there's an old bottling factory on the edge of the city in the unincorporated side of town. There has been some activity out there that looked like Gerald's operation. That's all I know._" Mozzie gave Neal an address, the consultant thanking his friend profusely before hanging up. Peter coughed, Neal turning to look.

"So..." Peter kept his query open, obviously aware of who Neal had talked to. The consultant sighed.

"I think we have an address." Neal showed the GPS locator for the address Mozzie had given him on his phone to Peter. The agent nodded.

"Let's get permission from the owners if there are any and a warrant..." Peter gave Neal a firm look as the younger man rolled his eyes at the talk of a warrant.

"Fine fine but before we get there, it could be cleaned of evidence and contacting the owners might given them a warning if they're in cahoots." Neal looked frustrated but Peter just peered curiously at him.

"Did you just say _cahoots_? Anyhow... no we need to do this legally or the case for Gerard will fall apart. You know that better than I do Neal. I'm going to chat with Hughes and then we can go to lunch while we wait for the warrant." Peter patted him on the shoulder and smiled.

"Thanks for the help on this case and... tell Mozzie thanks." He winked on the last bit, walking away to the stairs and up to Hughes office as Neal glanced at him with a surprised look. Like he should be surprised Peter would guess his contact was Mozz. He sighed as he threw his cup of coffee away and went back to his desk. Neal gazed down at his anklet again as he sat, that feeling of being trapped coming back to him. He'd love nothing more than to be free to roam where he wanted to again. He sighed.

**()()()**

They ended up having lunch at a local sports bar, Peter keen on knowing how his team was doing but lucky for Neal, the place had an excellent menu. If they'd been off duty he could have had some wine but he settled for a ginger ale while Peter had a diet soda. Apparently Elizabeth was getting on his case about sugar so he was trying to be the obedient husband and listen. Would Kate have been that way with Neal? He wondered as he took a bite of his pasta salad and noted the half eaten steak on Peter's plate. That was something El wouldn't approve of him eating but he was more consumed with the game than the food.

Near the end of their lunch Peter's cell rang and he motioned for Neal to follow as they left a tip and took off. Hughes had the warrant ready for them and they just had to pick it up.

"We're going to do this the Bureau way, Neal. I'm taking you along but don't do anything that could spoil this for the case against Gerald, ok?"

Neal held up two fingers like a Boy Scout, Peter making a face as he rolled his eyes and they headed back to the office. Jones had the warrant for them when they showed, Hughes having gone to a meeting. They would have to make the most of their search, Jones wishing he could go but he was helping Ruiz in Organized Crime with something as a favor. Diana was on vacation for the week so they were a bit short handed till she was back and the case with Ruiz ended. Peter nodded, patting Neal on the back.

"I have him. I'll call if I need you Jones."

He winked as Neal made a face like '_oh brother_' just before they took off with the warrant.

**()()()**

The bottling factory was just that and it looked like it hadn't been open since the 50s or 60s in its heyday. Peter had parked the car just outside the walls of the factory since nobody was there to greet them and open up the gate. Neal followed as Peter took a look at the chained gate and pushed open the door as much as he could and slipped through, Neal doing the same.

"Guess they didn't get the memo we were coming. We still have a warrant so we're ok. Stick close to me, Neal."

They trekked across the overgrown gravel yard outside the plant to the front doors, Peter knocking but nobody answering. The door was partially ajar as he pushed it open and they went inside.

"Seems a little strange nobody's here, Peter. If Gerald has something going on I'd think someone would come to play interference. Maybe Mozz got his information wrong. This feels off."

He hated to say it but maybe for once his friend had been wrong but it was highly unlikely. Peter shrugged.

"We're here, let's check out the place and if nothing comes of it we leave and see if we can find another source for his operations. This was the only one we knew had been associated with his men. Seems to be empty now but a quick peek around couldn't hurt. Mozzie obviously saw something suspicious here as did a few of our own CI's."

The two men split up and started their search.

Neal made his way over towards what appeared to be offices, moving stealthily. He stopped and ducked behind a huge column when he heard voices and footsteps.

"Boss said the FBI was coming over here. I saw a car parked outside. I think they're already here. He said we're supposed to _greet _them."

Neal swallowed hard on the last part when he heard them cocking guns as they spoke. Peter needed to know but he was trapped in his hiding place with the men between him and the agent's last location. They had their phones but he couldn't risk making much noise as he tried to figure out how to contact his friend.

**()()()**

Peter was in the bottling area, lots of broken glass and a few actual bottles still intact. He moved towards one and took it off the dusty conveyor belt as he looked inside. There were bills. Lots of them as he checked a few more bottles and found the same thing. So this was Geraldi's business... he was laundering money from this plant. At least there was something they could get them on if only someone was here to arrest but they had the goods regardless. Peter was about to pull out his phone when he heard a noise.

"_Neal?_"

He hissed quietly, loosening the strap on his gun as he headed towards the sound. He moved behind a pillar but nothing was there although he did notice fresh footprints in the dust. He was kneeling down to look at them when he heard someone cry out.

"Peter!"

He had barely turned at the sound of Neal's voice when someone clocked him on the back of the head hard. Peter collapsed to the ground with a groan, rough hands grabbing his arms and pulling them tight behind him. The agent tried to move or struggle but was held firmly. Someone stuffed a rag in his mouth as he flinched at the sound of a gun going off. He turned to see a blurry figure flailing towards them, something familiar about them as his vision focused for an instant. He saw the figure fall to the ground limply.

_Neal? Neal!_

He was trying to get up and move towards his friend but he was hit hard across the face by a fist, the action causing him to slump as he was drawn to his feet and tape was pulled over his lips. He was pushed into a chair near the middle of the room, ropes binding him tightly as he turned to see the figure of his friend bleeding on the ground.

_NEAL!_

He pulled against the ropes to get to his friend, someone cursing at him as he felt another crack of something to the base of his skull and everything went black.

**()()()**

Peter shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs as he came to. He was sore, body and head leaning forward weakly as he realized he was bound securely to a wooden chair. He tried to shift some but the ropes held him tight and the chair must have been bolted down as it didn't move. The agent gave a weak groan, the base of his skull throbbing with a rhythm all its own.

_I tried to warn you. I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner._

He turned his head at the sound of the faint voice, the room empty except for himself. Peter thought he must be hearing things, looking around the large dusty space. He gave a muffled grunt, rags filling his mouth and tape pulled over his lips tightly.

_Did you need help with those ropes, Peter?_

The agent turned as someone spoke, someone familiar but it couldn't be. He was gone, the agent glancing at the figure lying still on the floor in the corner of the room in a pool of blood. He felt something warm drip from his eyes and a cool wisp of air touched his cheek .

_Are you crying, Peter?_

Peter shook his head despite the oddness of the situation but the cool wisp of air continued around him, brushing at his wrists and slowly the ropes began to loosen although he was still trapped.

_They always make this seem so easy in the movies. Give me a minute._

Peter pulled once more and felt his wrists freed, unraveling the ropes from around him. The voice spoke again, a kind of ache in his head as it did, a sick feeling coming over him. He moved quickly to an old bin and leaned over throwing up. He felt the hint of a hand on his back, cool air making him shiver.

_You ok, Peter?_

Peter shook his head, sliding down to the floor to sit. He felt dizzy, icy cold chills running up and down his spine. He closed his eyes and saw him standing there, at least in his mind's eye he did. Neal looked the same as he had before everything went wrong. The young man moved oddly, like a slow motion movie, the colors a little off.

"Neal? How..." He opened his eyes but there was nothing there. He felt a movement but it was subtle like sensing wind rather than a person.

_How what? What's wrong with you? Peter?_

He could hear the consultant's voice as if from far away but it was there. Neal was with him. Peter choked back a sob, unable to think what to say. What do you say to a dead man? Or was this a dream?

_Peter... answer me. What's wrong? We need to leave before they come back._

The agent closed his eyes and looked up at the strangely sepia colored figure before him. It was like watching an old movie on a projector, Neal's movements a strange kind of slow-motion stutter at times.

"Neal... look behind you." He didn't know what else to say, watching the figure turn slowly as if the frames of the film were staggering. He heard the gasp first then saw the figure waver ever so slightly.

_Peter... it's a trick. Tell me..._

The voice faded mid-sentence, the figure gone as Peter opened his eyes and no longer sensed Neal's presence. The nausea, chills and headache suddenly vanished although he felt far from well.

"Neal? Neal?" He called out, pushing himself weakly to his feet as he moved back towards the lifeless figure in the corner. Why had he let him see? Why didn't he protect him? He could have lied but it wouldn't have changed anything. The young man was dead. There was too much blood on the floor around him to prove anything else.

"I'm sorry, Neal. Forgive me..."

Peter moved towards the still figure and checked for a pulse or breath. He gave a choked sob when he didn't feel anything knowing he wouldn't with so much blood on the ground. Neal's skin was cool to the touch as he held his partner a moment, warm tears dripping from his eyes.

"We got one of them but the other one is still tied up. We'll take care of him and finish cleaning this place up."

Peter heard the voices of the men who had killed his partner and tied him up. He reached for his gun and found it gone, his cell missing when he checked. He saw Neal's cell phone, grabbed it as he promised to get revenge and took off. He stumbled towards the exit and his car hoping it was still there when he got outside. Peter was dizzy, the afternoon sunlight blinding him when he exited the building and stumbled drunkenly across to the gate. Nobody stopped him as he squeezed under the gate and made it to the car. It didn't appear anyone had touched it as he pulled out Neal's phone and made a call.

"_Jones, FBI..._"

The agent tried to find his voice, his head aching as he slipped down to the ground and sat, his back leaning on the vehicle.

"Jones... it was... a trap. Neal's... de... dead."

He heard a gasp on the other end and movement as other voices joined in behind Jones'

"_Peter, where are you? I'm going over there now with some other agents. Tell me where you are._"

Peter gave him the address, texting it as well till he heard sounds from the plant and knew he had to get to safety. The agent wasn't sure he could move as he plugged in the code for the car. They had taken his keys but he could still get in as he unlocked the doors, reached under the driver's seat and grabbed a back up pistol. They weren't taking him without a fight.

"Hurry, Jones... I hear them coming."

**()()()**

Peter must have fainted as he slowly came to, someone nudging him as he reached for his gun but was stopped. He opened his eyes to see Jones looking down at him.

"It's me Peter... it's ok."

The agent looked around to find he was still by his car on the gravel as he tried to think back. Someone had been coming and then...

"Looks like they didn't find you and took off. We found no traces of Gerald or his men."

Peter nodded trying to stand as Jones helped him and he looked around. Someone had opened up the gate and agents were swarming the place. He wondered if they had found the money in the bottles or not.

"Gerald had money in the bottles on the conveyor..."

Jones shook his head.

"We haven't found anything to prove Gerald was here but there were signs of blood near the bottling area. Looks like someone cleaned it up fast."

Peter felt the color drain from his face as he felt sick. Did they find Neal's body or not?

"Jones... did you find Neal?"

He waited as he leaned against the car and continued to feel sick if not faint. He saw his junior agent look worriedly at him then shake his head.

"No. We didn't find him yet, Peter but we will."

Peter shook his head, he had seen the blood and his partner's lifeless body. Gerald's men probably buried him somewhere.

"He was dead. They may have..."

He paused, voice choking but mostly he felt nauseated as he stumbled aside to a small bush and threw up. Jones helped to keep him upright till he was done.

"You have a nasty bump on the back of your head, Peter. He might not have been dead. We'll find him. Let me take you to a doctor, ok?"

Peter wanted to protest but he collapsed to his knees, Jones catching him and calling for help as he slowly passed out.

**()()()**

_Peter was dreaming, remembering when he had grabbed his gun from the car and hoped to defend himself. Gerald's men had been only a few yards away but something had distracted them. He wasn't sure what but he had leaned back against the car waiting for them to return, eyes closing as he felt the bump to his head hurting again. It was too bright out here and he was feeling helpless if not tired. There was a sudden chill to the air as he shivered slightly and felt a slight ache in his temples._

_**Peter... I sent them away. You're safe.**_

_He nodded at the voice, eyes closed but he turned and someone stood there in his mind's eye, the colors off but he thought he should know them._

_**I hear sirens, Peter. You're ok. They won't come back but they took all the evidence. I know where...**_

_The voice cut off as Peter felt himself pass out, slumping over to the ground as his cheek touched the rough gravel of the ground. He thought he felt a cool breeze along his cheek and then nothing._

The agent woke up with a start and looked around him. He was in a hospital bed but he was surrounded by a blue curtain and still in his same clothes. There were voices outside the curtain as he shifted slightly, noting the IV and monitors hooked into his arm. He was trying to get a hold on where he was when the curtain to his right opened up suddenly and he saw Elizabeth there.

"El?"

She was at his side in a second, holding his hand and kissing him. She looked worried if anything, brushing at his hair and hugging him as he reached up to hold her.

"Jones called me soon as he dropped you off here. He's outside talking to the doctors with Hughes. You gave us a scare there for a little while. The paramedics thought you might be comatose."

She was sniffling some but pulled a chair up and sat with him as she kept her hand in his. Peter was glad he was ok for her sake but his mind kept going back to Neal. He had seen the young man laying dead on the floor in a pool of blood. Jones said they hadn't found a body but that didn't mean Neal wasn't dead. He had seen him with his own eyes. The monitor started to pick up a bit as he stressed over the memory and Elizabeth tried to calm him.

"Peter... relax. They're going to let you go home once they know you're ok. They're waiting for the test results. You had a very bad knock on the head."

Did she know about Neal yet? Had Jones or Hughes told her?

"Hughes told me about Neal. I'm so sorry, Peter."

She was crying now not just because of their lost friend but she was worrying about him. She knew how much Neal had meant to him and he had been a big part of their lives.

"Did they... find his body?"

He leaned back on the pillows heavily but his eyes looked into hers hopefully as she shook her head.

"I don't think so. You've been here a few hours but I haven't heard anything new. I'm sorry, honey."

Peter nodded as he closed his eyes and felt warm tears in his eyes. He didn't want Neal's body rotting somewhere without being buried properly. The young man had tried to warn him and he'd been shot doing it. He swallowed back his tears and opened his eyes again as he looked at his wife. She looked as anguished as he at the loss of their friend, his hand reaching up to brush a stray strand of hair from her face.

"I don't want him to be alone. He tried to warn me..."

He felt his body shaking with a sobs although he didn't want to cry. Elizabeth held him closer and they were like that a while till there was a cough and Hughes appeared.

"I'm sorry to interrupt. How are you feeling, Peter?"

Reese sounded less gruff than usual and there seemed to be an almost softness to his voice Peter had never heard before. He wiped at his eyes and answered.

"Head hurts but I'm worried about Neal. He's still out there somewhere. I saw him... I think they hid his body in the factory somewhere. If we could find it we could have more than enough on Gerald if not his men."

Hughes nodded back at him but looked a bit saddened at the thought of a dead Neal Caffrey.

"Peter, he might still be alive."

It was odd to hear everyone being so much more positive than he was but he had been there and seen the blood and his friend's body. There was no way even if he wanted to hope that the young man was alive. He could only wish they'd find his body and bury it properly.

"I saw him, Reese. He was dead. He was cold and I felt no pulse. I wanted him to be alive but he wasn't. I had to leave him there!"

Peter turned away, his face burning with shame at the guilt he felt at leaving his friend's body at the mercy of those criminals. It had been that distraction that saved his own life but had killed his partner. Neal was dead because of him.

"Peter... we'll keep looking. The doctor said you can go. You can have the rest of the week off till you feel better. You're off the case till then."

Peter didn't turn around, El talking softly to the older agent before he heard footsteps leave and felt her arms hugging him.

"Honey... let me go sign the paperwork and then we'll go home, ok?"

He just stared at the opposite side of the curtain silently as she moved away and he tried not to think about his friend's cold dead body in that bottling plant. He had abandoned the younger man. He should have taken the body with him. He felt his hands clench to fists before he started to curse silently at the air. If it was the last thing he did, he would make Gerald pay for this.

**()()()**

The week went by slowly as Peter stayed home and slept a lot mainly due to his head injury. Elizabeth worried about her husband but the doctor told her that was normal unless he was feeling groggy or otherwise having serious headache. Peter seemed to have neither but he was very tired which might also be part of the depression at losing his friend and partner. El had never seen him so broken up about anything. He was a strong man and seeing Peter depressed was strange to her. His usual "cowboy up" attitude seemed to have been lost when Neal went missing. Yes, Peter thought he had seen the young man dead but she kept hoping he was mistaken as did the rest of the Bureau as they continued the search for the lost consultant. They were continuing the investigation without Peter in the meanwhile on Gerald and his operation but for now they still had very little proof of anything even that he had anything to do with Peter's kidnapping and Neal's possible disappearance / death. Mozzie was no where to be seen considering he had to have heard the news. El seemed concerned the little guy hadn't come to talk to them but maybe he was looking into the incident on his own.

Four days into the week Peter thought he heard something downstairs in the middle of the night. El was still sleeping soundly but he knew he had heard a sound as he rose quietly from the bed and went downstairs. He had a small bat in his hand he used for emergencies as he slipped to the first floor in his robe. It was quiet, the lights out as he glanced around the den and saw nothing. He checked the front door and was about to move to the back one when he heard something.

"Satchmo?"

Peter whispered as he looked around in the dim lighting. There seemed to be a shadow by the back door that looked like a man for a moment before he realized the dog was there looking at the door and giving a quiet snuffling sound he sometimes gave when paid affections. The agent moved closer to the door calling the dog again as the lab turned and gave a kind of soft sniffle to his owner. Peter petted the dog as he opened the curtain on the door but saw nothing through the window realizing it was just shadows. Satchmo still acted as if someone were there till Peter turned on the light in the kitchen and moved to get himself a glass of water.

He must have dreaming he thought as he sipped at the water and replaced the glass in the sink. Satchmo watched him curiously a moment then gave a little doggy yawn before disappearing to his pillow. Peter turned out the light and walked back through the den and up the stairs. He had felt a slight chill downstairs and was glad to be upstairs as the chill had left once he had headed up. He went back to the bedroom and closed the door and slipped back into bed as El rolled over.

"Honey? Something the matter?"

Her voice was husky with sleep but he just hugged her in the darkness as he tried to figure out what was up with the dog or the sound he thought he had heard. It had sounded like a door opening but he hadn't seen anything to show anyone had broken in so it must have been in his head or a dream. He yawned and rolled over, hugging his wife as he fell back to sleep.

**()()()**

The week off ended and Peter was back to work but not feeling very enthused. He was looking forward to working on the Gerald case again but Hughes called him up to say he had a different case for him and was reassigning the case to Ruiz. Peter nearly said something he'd regret but bit his tongue and stormed out of the office and headed to the stairs. He went up instead of down, going to the roof and finding a spot to sit as he tried to get over his disappointment at being taken off the case to prosecute the man who had murdered his partner, friend and nearly killed him. He felt a buzzing in his pocket after a while, pulling out his cell and answering.

"Burke..."

"_Peter... where are you?_"

It was Hughes but he didn't sound angry, more concerned he thought but at the moment all Peter wanted was to be alone.

"On the roof thinking."

There was silence and a sound like Hughes was moving and a ding of the elevator in the background.

"_Stay where you are, Peter. I'll be right there._"

Peter shrugged at the phone, hanging up and just staring across the vast cityscape his thoughts filled with his partner's face. He wiped at his eyes as he continued to sit there, turning only when he heard the door open to the roof and saw Hughes there with two other agents. He seemed surprised by the company but saw Reese send the others away and come towards him alone.

"Reese, I'm sorry I stormed out but I needed to be alone. I wanted to be on the Gerald case and prosecute that bastard. It's the least I could do for what he did to Neal."

His voice choked as he turned away and wiped at his eyes again. It wasn't like him to cry but he'd been emotional more than usual lately which wasn't anything like him. He felt his boss' hand on his shoulder and the man sat beside him.

"I'm sorry about Neal... I miss him too but you're too close to this Peter. Besides now this is no longer a White Collar case but Organized Crime. Gerald is working with Anthony Vicconi with our latest intel. He's a big drug and arms dealer with no convictions."

Peter just stared at him a moment before he stood and walked over to the edge and looked over. Hughes moved closer and put his hand on Peter's arm and he realized why there other agents had been there.

"I'm not going to jump, Reese. I'm not stupid but I am pissed. I should have the option to work on a case that killed my partner and get some justice from this."

He was still looking at the street below when he felt Reese squeeze his arm a bit.

"Are you certain you're wanting justice and not revenge? I know you spoke of that over and over with Caffrey but I'm seeing his stubbornness in you Burke. We have done everything to find him but there's no sign."

Peter finally turned and looked at the agent, one of his closest friends and nodded though he didn't want to admit it. He had seen his friend dead and knew Neal was gone but he had hoped, if only secretly, Neal would show up again. He had to but now...

"Why don't you go home, Peter. Think things over and come back tomorrow fresh for this new case. Ok?"

Peter nodded without a fight. Normally he would just deal and stay but he was too depressed to do what he should. He just wanted to crawl into a hole and hide from the pain as he followed Hughes to the door and they exited to the elevator.

"I heard Elizabeth has a new event coming up. Museum of Fine Art isn't it?"

Peter nodded ever so slightly knowing Reese was trying to help change the subject for a moment. His mind was too much on Neal to concentrate but he tried.

"Yes, Neal... help her get the gig. He knew someone."

He felt a pain in his chest as he mentioned his friend's name and Reese suddenly looked guilty as if he'd pushed the knife in without realizing it.

"I had no idea... Tell her I hope the best for her event."

Peter nodded as Hughes got off the elevator and he followed to grab up his things.

**oOoOoOo**

**Author's Note:** _Someone requested I finally do this and I've been between this and another story to post. I originally posted a small bit of this I had in my head to my Menagerie drabbles. I think I have this one where I want it. Enjoy! (fixed a continuity error)  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**(Chapter 2)**

Peter went home but he took the long way, stopping off to park across from June's as he sat in the Taurus and stared up at the terrace at the top of her home. He sat there for a good hour before he finally got out of the car, crossing the street towards her front door. The agent wasn't sure what he was going to do when someone opened up the door and stared up at him. It was Mozzie, the bespectacled conman quiet before making a small flourish for him to enter. They walked in silence as the door closed and they moved towards the large foyer and stairs. As Mozzie started up Peter paused and leaned heavily against the banister, head bowed.

"Is June here?"

He didn't look at the con, guilt at having left his partner and friend behind eating at him. He looked up when he heard nothing and saw the man shake his head.

"She's with her daughter. She knows about Neal missing."

Peter swallowed hard. Mozzie didn't know what really happened or was he being subtle?

"Missing? Mozzie, Neal..."

He couldn't bring himself to say it even after a week of knowing it was truth. Neal was dead. He couldn't be alive after all this time with the blood he'd seen. There had been no breath. No pulse and worse of all the young man had looked waxy, his skin cool to the touch. He sat on the steps and tried to catch his breath feeling faint suddenly. Mozzie sat beside him worriedly.

"Suit... what's wrong? What about Neal? He is just missing isn't he?"

Hughes had insisted the consultant was missing and that Peter was wrong but now... It had been a week and all the blood he'd seen... He must be dead!

"He's dead. I know he's dead. I saw him and I had to... Mozzie... I left him there!"

Peter didn't know why but he had to tell the man the truth. Mozzie had helped him and he had always been there for Neal. He deserved to know what he'd seen. He saw the color drain from the con's face.

"Dead? No... Neal can't be. Peter... you're lying!"

The con stood and moved away into the foyer, pacing in a circle a moment while talking softly to himself.

"Neal... dead? No... it's a mistake... a lie... a lie yes. It's a terrible lie..."

Peter watched the little guy suffering with the truth as he had when he felt a sudden chill, an ache in his temples and a small wind around him.

_Peter... can you hear me? Peter..._

The voice was faint but he knew who's voice it was. He must be hallucinating.

"_You're dead... Neal I'm so sorry._"

He whispered to himself, Mozzie looking at him curiously.

_Peter... my body... can you hear me? Peter... they're going to move it... Peter?_

The voice was cutting in and out, his head hurting as he rubbed at his temples and he saw Mozzie had moved closer.

"Suit, you don't look so good."

He noticed the little guy shiver slightly and then the voice again spoke in his head.

_Tell Mozzie... tell him about my... moving soon... not much time..._

Slowly the ache in his head dissipated and he noticed the chill had left. He looked around as if someone else should be there as Mozzie watched him.

"Suit... who are you looking for?"

Peter didn't know but he'd heard him. He'd heard Neal in his head a moment. Was he just grieving?

"Nothing... thought I heard something."

Peter got to his feet and slowly moved up the stairs with Mozzie following. He really didn't want to go upstairs but something drew him there. The agent walked with a heavy heart as they approached the door and entered the room. Nothing had changed since his last visit but that had been over a week ago when Neal had still been alive. He swallowed hard as he moved out onto the terrace and peered over the side.

"Suit... I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

Peter turned at that comment, curious why Mozzie would trust him so much. They had been friends in a way because of Neal but the man was coming out and saying it wasn't his fault. Something had changed as the little guy moved closer.

"I had a strange dream while I was napping here earlier. I thought I heard Neal talking to me but... well the important thing is he told me to tell you it wasn't your fault."

Peter blinked at the man wondering if he should share his own odd feelings but it was too weird for him and out of the norm to share much less about this or with Mozzie.

"Not my fault? I dragged him to the case and it was just us. I should have insisted Jones or another agent come with us. I left him there, Mozzie. He was so pale and lifeless..."

His voice trailed off but both men turned with a start at the sound of something crashing to the ground. Peter still had his gun on him from work as he moved cautiously into the main apartment and peered around. Mozzie took up the back and looked around him nervously till they realized nobody was there. They were wondering what had crashed when Peter felt a chill and turned to see something near the fireplace. He moved closer although Mozzie looked nervously at what had caught the agent's attention.

"Neal's hidey hole. Why would the panel fall off like that..."

Peter moved closer to the panel to pick it up and noticed something else was underneath it. He moved the wooden plank as he picked up the item and saw it was a passport.

"Nick Halden..."

Peter didn't say anything else as he put the passport back in the hiding place and put the panel back. He had already known about it from when Sara Ellis had tried to arrest Neal for supposedly breaking into her place. The agent walked away, his feet moving him towards the door when he felt a sudden chill and his headache returned.

_**Peter...**_

He perked up and turned at the sound of the familiar voice. It had sounded clear as day for a moment as he turned and saw a funny look on Mozzie's face.

"It's suddenly very cool in here, isn't it Suit?"

Peter went back to look at the con who just blinked at him.

"You look like you saw a ghost, Mozzie."

The little guy shrugged but shook his head.

"Heard something maybe."

His cell phone took that moment to ring as Peter pulled it out to answer and heard his wife's voice.

"_Honey, Hughes told me you went home early. Where are you?_"

Peter felt badly, moving towards the door and stairs.

"I'm headed home now. Had to stop off and do something. I'll see you in a few, hon."

He was going to down the stairs as he hung up the phone when his ankle twisted and he lost his balance. The agent fell and rolled with a thud down the stairs, the sound of someone running down after him and calling.

"**SUIT!**"

Peter slumped at the bottom and passed out.

**()()()**

Elizabeth hung up with Peter, sitting in the living room on the sofa and worrying about her husband. Hughes had told her what had happened with Peter being on the roof and being depressed. She couldn't blame her husband considering the circumstances. Being taken off this case must have broken his heart. She sighed, missing her husband and knowing he must be right about Neal. The con couldn't still be alive if what he had said was true. It had been six days since the incident and she still was thankful her husband had survived.

She yawned, petting Satchmo on the head before she curled up on the sofa and closed her eyes.

_El?_

She thought she heard a familiar voice. Someone was talking to her, Elizabeth shifting slightly in her sleep. She thought she heard Satchmo make a noise, a snuffling noise he only made with certain people.

_El... go to June's._

She frowned in her sleep, a strange feeling coming over her that made her worry as she suddenly woke up. She heard a small whine from Satchmo, shivering as she pulled a nearby throw over herself.

What an odd dream. She hadn't really dreamed anything but heard Neal talking to her. She started to wonder about it when she stared at her cell on the coffee table and it suddenly buzzed.

"Elizabeth Burke... Mozzie? Calm down... what... How?"

She was up on her feet immediately, slipping on her shoes and running towards the door as she grabbed up her purse and was outside and hailing a cab.

Elizabeth reached June's home, her mind racing at what Mozzie had told her. Peter had fallen down the stairs and hit his head. The con had tried to wake him but the agent wasn't responding. She paid the cabbie and rushed from the vehicle, running to the front door where Mozzie was waiting for her before she hit the bell.

"El..."

His voice was cracking as he led her to the slumped form of her husband at the foot of the stairs. Peter was unconscious, a large lump on the side of his head. She felt for a pulse and didn't feel one at first then let out a relieved gasp when she found one. He was breathing but it was shallow at best.

"Call 9-1-1 Mozzie..."

The little guy looked nervous till she glared at him and he did as she asked. El looked at the unconscious form of her husband and nudged him gently, caressing his face and hair as she tried to rouse him.

"Peter... Peter honey, It's me. Wake up."

She gently laid his head on her lap, kissing his forehead. Peter didn't move, his face slack as she worried about him and the huge knot on his head. Mozzie quietly walked over to see how they were.

"I called them. They said they're on their way."

El nodded looking at him curiously as the little guy seemed to be glancing around the room.

"Mozzie... what happened?"

She saw the little guy pacing still, eyes looking around the room and then up the stairs in a curious manner.

"Neal... we were... talking about him. I thought I heard him. I think your husband did too. Maybe it was mass hysteria but then he left. You had called him and he was putting away the cell when he tripped and fell down the stairs."

Mozzie looked upset at the memory of the scene but he seemed freaked out more about something else, his eyes still looking up and around the room.

"Mozzie... you said you heard Neal?"

The little guy seemed more jumpy than usual as he nodded to her and she thought back to that odd dream. She had thought she heard Neal too. He had told her to go to June's and then Mozzie had called her about Peter. She was about to say something else when they heard a loud knocking at the front door and saw EMTs standing there. Mozzie went to open up the door and let them in as El continued to hold her husband. She worried over him as she thought about what had happened. Maybe it was just a coincidence she dreamed of Neal? She moved aside when the EMTs gently placed her husband on a gurney and started to check him out.

"Nasty bump. We'll take him to the nearest hospital to get it checked out. You can ride along."

El turned to Mozzie.

"Are you going to meet us there?"

He was still looking around the large foyer curiously before he nodded.

"Yes... but I need to check something first."

El nodded a bit disappointingly as she followed the EMTs with her husband and they left.

**()()()**

Peter didn't remember much as his head connected with the stairs and he blacked out. He knew he was cold, shivering as he tried to sit up and found he was in a cramped sort of cubby or box. He could feel his head hit the space overhead as he tried to sit up.

_Cold... so coooold..._

Someone was talking? He thought he heard a slight movement nearby as he tried to see in the gloom but couldn't.

_**Who's there?**_

He thought without speaking as he tried to get an idea where they were. The voice spoke again.

_Cold... so coooold..._

The person seemed like they couldn't hear Peter as he moved towards the sound of their voice and found his hand touching someone else's. Their skin felt cool and chilly to the touch making him flinch but he felt around in the darkness till he had their wrist under his fingertips. It took a moment but he felt a weak pulse.

_**Can you hear me? Hello?**_

Peter suddenly flinched as bright light flooded the small space and he could finally see where he was. It was in a kind of cramped root cellar, a metal panel opening outwards as he glanced up through the glare of light. Three men stood there, Gerald's men he realized from the other day.

_Have to move him before they find the body. The Feds were getting close the other day but they're gone now. Gerald said we have to finish this now that Viconni's involved. He would have liked to kill the agent but that's no longer an option. They moved the case to another department._

He could hear them talking but they didn't seem to be aware he was there. Peter looked down at the hand he was holding to see it was Neal's. The con lay limply in the small space, unfettered. Neal's skin looked ashen, all the color drained from it. Peter was feeling that guilt wash over him again at leaving his friend at the mercy of these crooks when he saw the young man's eyes and his lips twitch ever so slightly, then he was still again. It not only surprised him but the three goons.

_Shit! He's still alive? I thought you said he was dead!_

Peter looked at the young man's body surprised before finding himself standing behind the three goons as they discussed Neal. They were still in the bottling plant as the agent walked back from the storage space and started making note of where he was. It was a loading dock from what he could tell, a sign in the corner talking about _Safety_ hanging crookedly. His attention went back to the three men as one of them answered their cell.

_Understood but he's still alive. Yes... alive!_

The man sounded afraid as he nodded to the phone and then hung up.

_We can't move him now. Too much heat. Lock it back up again. He said nobody knows about this storage space but us. We have plenty of time and with the condition he's in, we may not need to kill him... again._

The other two men nodded as they closed the metal panel back up, pulled another over it that matched up with the floor and walked away. Peter moved back towards the spot as the three men left, their voices fading into the distance. He crouched down beside the panel and made to move it when someone touch his shoulder.

_Peter..._

Neal stood there, his face pale and ashen but he was smiling softly.

_**Neal?**_

The figure nodded as Peter moved closer and hugged him.

_**You're not really...**_

Neal nodded, blue eyes glittering.

_Follow me Peter..._

They were walking away from the hidden storage area Neal's body was left in. He didn't want to leave but his partner had a firm hold on his arm. They walked through a maze of the plant's interior until he recognized some of the building they had gone through when they had been there just over a week ago. They were at the threshold of the plant when Neal stopped.

_This is as far as I can go._

Peter grasped his friend's hand and started for the door.

_**Come on Neal. The car's just outside.**_

Neal didn't move, his face still pale as he frowned at the agent.

_You have to go on without me, Peter. Tell them where I am._

Peter shook his head, pulling harder on the young man's arm but not getting him to budge.

_**I'm not leaving you behind again, Neal. Don't be stubborn...**_

He saw tears in the young man's eyes.

_I can't... Peter. I've little time. Just... find me._

Peter was about to protest when he suddenly found himself awake.

"Peter?"

He turned his head to see his wife sitting beside him. He noticed the blue curtain around them and suddenly realized where they were.

"Why are we in the ER? Did something happen?"

Peter tried to sit up as El pushed him gently back into the bed.

"You can't get up till the doctor returns with your test results. You got a pretty nasty bump, Peter. I was worried about you and so was Mozzie."

He perked up at the con's name, nodding his head and then regretting the action.

"Mozzie... I was at June's and then... I can't remember anything after that. We were talking..."

She gently kissed him on the lips and brushed at his hair as she tried to calm him.

"It's ok. He called me and then we called 9-1-1. You've been here a couple of hours already. I'm just waiting for the results."

El looked worried as he reached up and gently caressed her cheek. He hated to see her upset as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry. I don't remember what happened but I'm glad Mozzie called you. How did I... hit my head?"

He winced as he touched the bump and she settled him back, brushing gently at his hair.

"Mozzie said you hung up your cell after I called, was putting it away when you tripped on the stairs and fell. He called me in a panic and when I got there you wouldn't respond so we called 9-1-1. You were so still..."

She was hugging him now but something in what she said made him think back. He had checked Neal, the con's skin so cool to the touch he had shrunk back not really feeling for a pulse. Maybe...

"Neal... he's... alive. Elizabeth... I left him there and he wasn't dead!"

She was trying to calm him as he started to sit up in earnest now, the monitor starting to go crazy as he got excited. The curtain pulled back and a doctor stood there in green scrubs.

"I guess he's waken up. Mr. Burke, you need to relax. I have your test results."

Peter continued to sit up, pulling the monitors off of him.

"I need to go find him. He's alive. I know he is!"

Peter was ignoring the doctor, pleading with his wife when finally she nodded and looked at the doctor a moment.

"Is my husband scheduled to leave?"

The doctor blinked obviously keen on reading the results but nodded as he closed the folder up.

"It's just a minor concussion so he should rest, take some aspirin and stay away from anything that might make him _excited_."

The man emphasized the last part as he gazed between them with a pointed expression and then pulled the curtain fully open as Peter let El help him outside. He slipped his shoes on when she went back to get them and they were headed to sign paperwork. They were exiting the hospital, El holding up a hand for a cap when she noticed how agitated he still was.

"Honey, why are you talking about Neal? We're going home. You need to rest."

She was getting annoyed with him but he knew it was only because she was worried.

"Neal... I had a dream. We were back at the bottling plant. I don't remember the rest but he was trying to tell me something."

His head was aching as a cab finally stopped for them and they slipped inside. Elizabeth gave their home address as he leaned back in the seat and tried to remember. Neal was showing him something. Talking to him but now he couldn't remember what it had been. He had to ask Mozzie. He leaned forward before El could say anything and told the cabbie to go to June's.

"Honey... she's not home. Mozzie said she was out for the night and let him stay because of Neal. We can't just barge in like this."

He shook his head, regretting the action but dealing with it.

"He knows something... I need to speak with him."

El shook her head, telling the cabbie not to listen to Peter and keep going to their home, the man nodded obediently, watching them through the rear-view mirror.

"Peter... you can talk to Mozzie tomorrow. You're going home to rest and if I have to use your cuffs to keep you in place I will!"

The cabbie let go a snort of amusement, El glaring at him as he turned his attention back to the road.

"I don't want you hurt again, honey. Two scares in two weeks is more than enough."

She was hugging him close and he reciprocated. Maybe he was being silly. It had been a dream, right? With all the blood at the scene, could Neal still be alive? He tried to think back what it was he had dreamed, his mind fuzzy as he relaxed in his wife's arms and kissed her head.

"You're right, hon."

Peter leaned against the window and peered out at the city passing by as his wife held him close. Neal was gone. Plain and simple. Hughes was right to take him off the case. He was overreacting which was probably caused by his injuries. He felt a slight chill and then his head ached as he reached up to rub at his temples, eyes feeling a bit heavy. The pain from the knot on his head was still hurting him as he started to pass into a light sleep. He thought he heard a voice from far away as he passed out.

_Pe... ter?_


	3. Chapter 3

**(Chapter 3)**

Neal had heard the men speaking, hiding behind the cement column unseen and waiting for them to move away. When they finally did he quietly moved to where he'd last left Peter. The agent was in danger if they found him. Neal made his way up through what looked like an abandoned loading docks, a crooked sign with safety rules hanging on the wall. He was starting to recognize the plant again, the section they had entered and where Peter might still be. He crept along through the dust and debris till he saw him, the agent bending over to look at something.

He was going to run over when he saw another figure, one of the men he'd seen and heard earlier, moving quietly towards Peter. The agent didn't see them as Neal called out his friend's name but it was too late. The man clocked the agent across the back of the head as Neal tried to run forward and help. He had only taken a few steps when he heard the shot and felt a horrible burning pain in his chest, breath catching in his throat as he gasped for air.

_Pe... ter!_

He couldn't speak, his body falling to the ground as he saw Peter struggling to get to him but the man hit him again and the agent slumped in their grasp as they tied him to a chair. Neal lay on the ground there, someone kicking him in the side before they dragged him a few feet away, a trail of warm sticky blood left behind on the dusty ground.

"Gerald warned us. At least we can clean up this mess before anyone else comes. Nobody has to know they were here."

Neal heard the man speaking as another man pulled back Peter's head, the agent obviously unconscious and then let it go. He smiled with a dark satisfaction.

"This one's out cold. Take his gun and phone."

The man that had held Peter's head complied to the speaker as Neal felt himself fading away, a warm wetness growing beneath him as he struggled for breath... life... heart beating faster than it should, breath ragged and raspy as he tried to fight... tried to live. He wanted to help his friend and he had failed. They were going to die here.

_It wasn't your fault... Peter... it wasn't your fault. I should have gotten to you sooner. I'm sorry, Peter. Forgive me..._

He was losing consciousness, his heart beating erratically as he lost more and more blood. Someone stood over and watched him, one of the men. They looked at him dispassionately as if he were just some animal hit by a car on the road. A deer that had been caught in the headlights. That's what he had been. If he'd been swifter... faster... they'd be alive.

His heart was skipping now, beating abnormally as he thought he might gasp his last breath... Neal shuddered as the clock ticked down and his breath began to grow more shallow. He felt a horrible coldness descend upon him and he wanted to claw up out of the ice as his vision grayed and darkened and the tunnel deepened till the man staring at him was no more than a mall dot and then... _blackness_.

**()()()**

He didn't remember waking up. He just was. Neal found himself staring down at his friend, the agent slumped in the wooden chair, arms pulled tightly behind him, chin resting loosely on his chest.

Neal reached to brush a strand of hair from the agent's face, Peter shifting slightly as he coughed and started to come to. He felt like he was dreaming, everything seemingly slow moving as he nudged the agent awake till he was certain his friend was alive and well. Peter seemed confused not looking directly at him which made Neal wonder what was wrong.

He spoke to his friend but it seemed that Peter barely heard him, moving towards a bin and throwing up once he was loose of his bonds. The agent didn't look well at all, his face pale, cheeks flushed. Neal kept talking to him but it was strange that Peter didn't really react. He seemed to close his eyes and then look up at him but when he was looking... really looking he didn't seem to notice him. It confused the con till Peter told him to turn around. Neal wasn't sure what to expect when he saw the figure laying prone on the cement. The figure was nearly ashen, eyes staring upwards through slits, lots of blood beneath them in a large pool. The man was dead. He had to be but... it was _him_. Neal was looking at himself!

It couldn't be true! He tried to turn, to ask his friend and then he felt himself in darkness again. Trapped in a cold icy blackness that ate at him and made him scream. He was contained in the gloom but he could see just a faint hint of light as he saw someone crouch over him and felt warm salty tears hit dead skin. He had to be dead. How could he explain what was happening otherwise?

_Peter! Don't leave me... Peter!_

His friend didn't hear him, couldn't as he gently held the con a moment before leaving him there alone.

_PETER!_

He was screaming, crying and yelling but the agent still didn't hear him as he took off at an unsteady lope. He saw the figure disappear from view till others came. He recognized them as the men who had shot him and hurt his friend. Anger raged within him but he was still trapped, reality setting in when he realized what he was now.

"The other one escaped! Look for him or Gerald will have our hides! You... take this one to that storage spot. Clean up the mess when you're done. The rest of you get the goods and leave."

He felt hands lift him up and drag him away. Neal was trapped in his own body unable to do anything but yell and scream only to his own ears. He was dead and nobody would find him now. He could just see where he was, what was going on when they opened up the hole and dropped him inside.

"Now that he's there, we can go clean up and help kill the agent too."

_Peter?_

They were talking about his friend and partner. Peter was still in danger!

_PETER!_

He was suddenly by the car, standing outside the wall and seeing Peter on the phone, his cell with someone. He could hear bits and pieces till he realized the agent had called Jones and back up would be on its way. He had to kill time, voices carrying from inside the wall. Neal moved away suddenly finding himself inside near a small pile of rocks. He moved to pick one up but his hand went through.

_Not now... I was just... moving things._

He tried again, Neal getting frustrated when he saw them heading to the gate. His anger rose and he finally felt something in him that made his hand touch the rock and throw it off to the side. The men turned and ran that way, relief washing over the con. He found himself back at Peter's car, the man slumped over and breathing hard. Neal knelt beside him, comforting him and telling him all would be ok before he found himself fading into the background.

**()()()**

It was all Neal could do not to go crazy. He was trapped, always going back to his dead body in the small storage space where Gerald's men had placed him. He wasn't sure exactly where he was, a darkened space which felt cool and icy making his already cold dead body feel like a freezer. At times he thought he felt something stir in his body but he was so cold and the darkness too thick for him to do more than deal with his death or leave.

He could go for short sprints he found, visiting his friend while Peter was healing. He watched the Burkes, Satchmo seeing him but nobody else. He thought the agent heard him but realized Peter was in denial, guilt keeping him from believing. Peter was not the kind of man who believed in the supernatural nor was Neal as he tried to make contact. He didn't want to disappear, knowing Gerald's men would bury his body where it would never be found. He had to get Peter to hear him. Someone had to hear him!

At some point he found himself in his apartment at June's. She was gone but he knew she had recently been there. He sensed someone else, a person in his room as he stood by the sofa and saw Mozzie lying there. The little guy had been drinking, heavily from the looks of it as Neal sat beside him and spoke softly.

_I never meant to leave, Mozzie. It wasn't supposed to be like this._

He saw the con shift in his sleep, wrapping his arms around him as he shivered some. Neal kept talking, telling Mozz not to worry and to let Peter know he was sorry. It wasn't his fault.

Then the bell rang and Mozz was awake, moving downstairs to find Peter there, Neal already by the door watching. Nobody acted conscious of him in the room but the agent seemed to be reacting when he spoke. He kept trying to get them to respond but finally they both went upstairs, Neal already there when they arrived. Peter and Mozz were out on the terrace, the agent telling his friend the truth of what had happened. The agent blamed himself for Neal's death and Mozzie told him not to worry but Peter didn't believe even when Neal made a noise. He wanted them know... to see him there and take the clues he left. Why wouldn't they believe!

Peter went in cautiously after the noise and saw what Neal's action had done. Instead of reacting he just put the stuff back and closed the hidden panel. Neal was upset. He wanted him to know and see. His body was hidden as the panel and passport had been. Gerald's men would move him soon. They had to find him before that happened!

_**PETER!**_

He cried out in frustration seeing both men cringe at the sound of his voice and he knew they had heard him although neither seemed anxious to admit it. He couldn't stay much longer. His time was short, energy wasted when he left his body. He wouldn't be able to do this for much longer as his time came closer. He wasn't even sure how he was doing it. He just did and so he was taking advantage of the situation while he had it. Peter was leaving so Neal followed the agent as he spoke to El on the cell and then started down the stairs. He saw Peter start to trip as he reached to pull him back but it was too late, his hand touching nothing as he heard Mozz cry out. The agent rolled down the stairs with a sickening crunch and lay crumpled at the bottom.

**()()()**

Neal was beside his friend in a heartbeat, watching Mozzie worry over the agent something he never expected. He thought about Elizabeth as he watched the still form of his friend on the ground. Peter couldn't leave her. He wouldn't let him! Suddenly he found himself at the Burkes' again. Satchmo perked up and looked at him curiously, a friendly snuffling sound coming from the huge lab. Neal petted the dog as much as he could till he saw the person he was seeking.

Elizabeth was sleeping on the sofa, her cell phone on the coffee table beside her. He reached to touch her face, a worried look in his eyes as he spoke softly. She shifted slightly as he did so and then she was awake and looking around. He wasn't sure if she had heard him but she reacted in much the same manner as Mozzie and Peter had, Elizabeth throwing something warm around her. He seemed to give off an aura of coolness when people sensed him. It was all he knew at the moment, that cold icy feeling as he felt himself drawn back away from the room and back to his dead body back at the bottling plant. The place they kept him was cool and dark and although his eyes were partially open he saw nothing in the dark cramped space. There were sounds and he thought for a moment someone was with him but all he could think about was the cold. He wanted to be free of it and leave. It was like his anklet, his spirit trapped within the small radius of his body only able to roam when something let him out long enough to do a task. He couldn't quite compare it to his deal with Peter. This was so much worse as he fought the darkness and then felt a hand on his.

_Peter?_

There was light, bright blinding light but he didn't react. How could he? He was dead wasn't he? He heard men talking, Gerald's goons and then he saw him.

_Peter?_

He slowly felt his spirit come to, pulling free finally when the men had left and Peter stood alone before the hole where his body lay hidden. He called to his friend and the agent turned, happy to see him. Peter hugged him, something the man would rarely do but it felt good. Once they had finished hugging Neal knew he had to take Peter home. His time was close now. He could feel it and the agent knew where Neal's body was now. That's all he needed to know to rest and say good-bye. They walked and talked towards the front of the building where Neal stopped and told Peter he had to go. The agent refused to abandoned him again but the con knew he couldn't leave this place as his friend could. This was his tomb unless Peter left now and came back with others to find his body before Gerald's men moved it. He pushed his friend away when Peter refused to go and then the agent was gone. Neal just stood there staring across the overgrown yard outside of the plant at the fence beyond. He hoped Peter would remember what happened as he felt himself slowly fading away.

**()()()**

The taxi arrived at the Burkes' a little while later, Elizabeth waking her husband who had fallen asleep in the backseat. He still seemed a bit groggy but she knew with the last head injury that would be normal the first day or two. She paid the driver and helped Peter walk up the few steps to their door, opening it up and leading him to the couch. He said few words, curling up with his hands under his head and quickly falling back to sleep. She could tell he was exhausted but the tightness in his face indicated he was worried about something. Peter had mentioned looking for Neal and knowing where he was. Elizabeth gently kissed her husband on the forehead, throwing a blanket over him as she moved quietly away to go fix a late lunch.

**()()()**

Peter was having a nightmare. It's all he could explain it as, memories of when he'd been hit over the head by Gerald's men coming back to him and his brief view of Neal being shot. He remembered coming to, thinking he had heard his partner talking but the man was dead. He knew he had to be dead, the large pool of blood around his body and the lack of color to his skin. Neal couldn't still be alive. He had felt so cold and waxy, eyes open just a hint and staring glassily without moving. Nobody could be alive after that. He wanted to think his friend was no longer in pain but in a better place.

_Pe... ter?_

He could hear his friend's voice but it was so quiet... so very faint as he tried to peer around the plant and find the young man.

_**NEAL? Where are you!**_

He was calling out, walking aimlessly through the bottling plant searching for the con. He kept returning to the spot where Neal had been killed and he had been tied up. He realized he was lost when he heard his friend again.

_Pe..._

The voice cut off and Peter no longer felt his friend's presence. He had finally realized what it was he had been feeling. That cool wind that whipped quietly around him and the voice in his head. It had been Neal. Neal had been here trying to talk to him. Tell him where he was. Getting Peter's attention.

The agent opened his eyes and looked around. It was late afternoon, early evening. He sat up and saw the sun low in the sky outside the window and the dim lighting in the den. The house was quiet and he rose with a quiet wince, his body still aching from his fall earlier that day. Apparently he hadn't broken anything but his head had hit the edge of the stairs hard enough he could still feel the bump on his head. Maybe he should have let the doctor read him the report but he had seemed very nonplus about the whole thing especially when Elizabeth asked if he was going home. Peter eased himself to his feet, feeling the pain from his bruises and making his way towards the kitchen. The light over the sink was on but it was quiet. He must have slept for some time if the sun was sinking already. Peter wondered where his wife was when Satchmo padded over and tugged on his hand.

"What is it Satch?"

The dog whined quietly, peering at the backdoor. Peter suddenly remembered that night he saw Satch by the backdoor. He'd had a certain feeling... He reached for the knob and opened the door to find Mozzie skulking there.

"Suit... Hi."

Peter blinked looking at the little guy a moment before finally motioning him to come inside. Mozzie obliged as he glanced at the slightly worse for wear looking agent.

"I'm glad you're better. I needed to talk to you about something."

The little guy was already moving towards the sofa to sit when he picked something up off the floor by the phone and held it up.

"I think your wife left you a note."

Peter closed the door and walked back over to grab the note, reading it.

_**Peter,**_

_**Went to work on some last minute details for the event next week. Will be back soon, hon.**_

_**~El~**_

He smiled at the note as Mozzie tried to be quiet but finally made a coughing sound.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?"

Peter went back to the kitchen, grabbing himself a beer and offering one to Mozzie who took it.

"Thanks... uhm, it's about Neal. He's gone."

Peter blinked, turning to see the little guy just looking at him as if he would know what that meant.

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

He saw Mozzie move closer and blinked at him behind his glasses.

"I don't feel him anymore. I know you heard him today. He called your name out. He made that panel fall. It was obvious even if we don't want to believe it. He even came to me in a dream. It was Neal!"

Peter realized he couldn't deny it any longer. His memory was still a bit fuzzy from the hit to his head but he had heard and seen Neal. He had dreamed of him and the bottling plant. He had to go back there.

"Ok... let's say I did felt his presence, Satchmo too... he was dead when I saw him last. It's been a week. I can't... I can't believe he could still be alive after this long."

He wasn't upset that Mozzie had made him admit the truth but that he knew his friend had to be dead. It would be a miracle if he was alive with what he knew and the length of time. Mozzie shook his head.

"I knew a man who seemed dead to everyone till they brought him in for an autopsy and he scared the coroner by crying. Tears were dripping from his eyes, Suit! That was how they knew he was still alive when everything seemed to say otherwise. They hooked him up to a machine and it found a very weak pulse and beat. He'd been like that for a good week before they'd found him."

Peter nodded, his mind trying to work around what he knew and could be. Was Neal still alive? Could he be? The only way to know was to go to the plant and see if he could find his friend's body.

"Mozz... I need to ask a favor."

**()()()**

Elizabeth Burke came home thirty minutes later to find the house quiet. She saw no sign of her husband or the dog but her note was still stuck on the wall by the phone. She went over to pull it off when she realized it wasn't her note.

_**El,**_

_**Something came up. I think I know where Neal is. Will call you soon. Mozz is with me, hon.**_

_**Peter**_

She blinked, a worried look crossing her face. Peter still had the bump to his head. She sighed pulling out her cell and calling a familiar number.

"Reese, it's me."

**()()()**

It didn't take long to get to the bottling plant, the last rays of sunlight still sinking over the city. They had only stopped long enough to get some supplies and then head out for the plant. Mozz was excited but worried that they might be too late if what they guessed was true.

"We have to get in through here."

Mozz nodded as they both pushed the gate quietly open and slipped under the chain. Satchmo quietly followed on his lead as Peter pulled him along. There were no signs of any one else there so Gerald and his men must have cleared out when the Feds came. Good news for Peter and Mozz.

"_Suit... did we really have to bring your dog along?_"

Peter nodded as he looked down at the drooling lab who seemed happy to be out and in a new place.

"_I wasn't going to leave him alone at home. Besides, he can pick up a scent or two, can't you boy?_"

Satch looked up at them with his tongue sticking out kind of dopey. Mozzie looked unimpressed.

"_Well, I hope he's at least a good early warning system in case someone sneaks up on us, Suit. You have your uhm weapon with you?_"

Peter nodded in the dim darkness as they skirted across the open yard and made it to the entrance of the plant. They waited till they made it inside before using their flashlights. The place was empty far as they could tell as they moved along in the darkness. Peter led the way as he moved knowingly through the gloomy plant. He'd dreamed of it plenty of times that he felt he knew where he was going till they found themselves in a dead end.

"_Ok, Suit. I think we all know why you aren't a con man or a thief._"

He turned to glare at Mozzie who just held up a hand.

"_I'm just saying._"

Peter sighed as he moved back the way they came and tried to think which way was it he was trying to go. He had a feeling...

"_Satch!_"

The dog had broken loose by suddenly running with out Peter being ready and the lead was trailing behind the dog with a quiet rattle as the agent ran after him and Mozzie tried to follow. Peter didn't realize he had lost the little guy till he turned and realized he didn't know where he was and Satchmo was no where to be seen.

"_Here boy... Satch... com..._"

Someone pushed a gun to his temple and he froze as he heard someone speak.

"Well... My men thought they wouldn't have the opportunity to kill you, Agent Burke."

Peter turned slightly to see someone shine a flashlight on the person speaking. It was Gerald, several of his men around him coming out of hiding as he saw the man who'd kidnapped him just a week ago holding the gun on him again.

"So now we get rid of both of our loose ends. Did you bring anyone else with you? I heard you call a name."

Peter swallowed hard but was glad they didn't know about Mozzie. He could only hope the little guy was hiding and wouldn't show up. He shook his head, standing up straight.

"I was walking my dog and he led me here."

He watched Gerald smile slightly and sigh. Another figure came up behind him and that's when Peter felt his blood run cold. Vicconi stood there, all 6 feet or so of him. He was a big guy with dark blond hair and deep hazel green eyes. He was dangerous but nobody had ever been able to convict him. If this guy was here, Peter was a goner.

"Now, I think you know my associate here. Shame you're not on this case anymore. One more thing for the new department to search for: A missing agent and consultant. Such a shame they won't find your bodies. Put him with the other one."

Peter felt his gun taken away, his cell removed and his arms pulled tightly behind him, the sound of zip ties evident. He winced a bit as he was pushed forward. The light was dim with the flashlights but he could just make out a bit of the scenery as he started to recognize it.

"This was a great place while it lasted but now we have to move. Too much traffic."

Peter struggled a bit but felt a gun pressed to his back and stopped, moving forward as he was pressed ahead. The area they were in was dimly lit and with the flashlight's glow he was able to finally recognize the spot. He hadn't been here but he had dreamed of it. He saw the crooked sign on the wall and realized this was where Neal had asked him to come to. He looked ahead where the floor was just a bit off, goons pulling a panel aside revealing a hidden storage area.

"In the old days they used this small root cellar to hide moonshine and alcohol before this became a bottling plant. A very nice place to store a couple of bodies and keep them on ice."

His blood ran cold at the comment as someone wrapped a hand around his mouth and nose and he smelled a sickly sweet aroma fill his nostrils.

"Make sure it's finished this time!"

He heard the man hiss as he started to succumb to the scent and slumped down to the ground, the person holding him following him as he passed out into oblivion.

**()()()**

Peter had an odd dream. He was running through the bottling plant calling out loudly, looking for something. He wasn't sure what at first till he found himself at the docks again, the crooked sign obvious and the panel to the place that Neal should be open and empty.

_**NEAL!**_

He was calling his friend's name looking everywhere for him but the con was missing.

_**NEAL!**_

He kept crying out for his friend, hoping to find him and then he saw Satchmo, the yellow lab running to him and cocking his head to one side as he looked at him.

_Find Neal, Satch. Find Neal..._

He saw the dog looking at him oddly then with a dopey look the lab started to run away, pausing when Peter didn't follow. The agent took off after the dog as he tried to keep up with his pet. Finally he found himself back where it had started. The remains of the blood stain obvious as he knelt there, Satch whining some as he sniffed at the spot.

_I miss him too Satch..._

Peter felt a warmth in his eyes when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and looked up to see a very faint figure standing there.

_Neal?_

The young man was talking to him, a sad look on his face but he couldn't hear anything. He tried to read Neal's lips but he was becoming more and more see-thru.

_Neal? I can't... hear you. Speak up!_

He saw a sad smile on his friend's face as he watched him turn and point towards the exit. Peter was still trying to figure out what Neal was trying to tell him when Satchmo barked, drawing his attention back from his friend to the dog.

It was dark but he could hear a barking sound nearby. Peter wasn't sure what was going on as he heard a scratching sound too and voices. His head was fuzzy and he could only remember that Neal had tried to tell him something, pointing back at the exit. What had he been saying. He played back what he thought he'd read of his friend's lips and then he knew.

_Peter... help is coming. Just hold on... I'm sorry... can't stay... good-b..._

The agent struggled to wake up, wanting to make a sound but he was gagged, arms and legs tied securely but he kicked as hard as he could up at the top of the small space hoping beyond hope Satch had brought help. He heard more voices and then people pulling something aside and a hint of light. He wasn't sure he could stay awake much longer, his head aching from the chloroform and his head injury. His body weakened and he finally slumped in the dimly lit darkness. He felt himself shiver in the cold dark space. He thought he heard a voice say "_FBI_" before he started to feel his consciousness slipping away.

Someone was coming for them, bleary eyes turning to see another shape laying still and unmoving just a few feet away from him in the cold enclosure.

_They're coming, Neal. Hold on a while longer. Please... just hold on..._


	4. Chapter 4

**(Chapter 4)**

Peter had a moment of panic, feeling a suffocating sense of deja vu as he shivered in the darkness. His breath was coming hard, chest tight as he fought to relax but couldn't. He was just about to choke, mouth full of rags, lips shut by tape when someone gently grasped his arm.

_It's ok Peter. Everything's ok._

The agent wasn't sure who was talking, his mind addled by terror and fear. The voice continued, someone gently patting his shoulder till he started to relax. He thought he smelled a familiar cologne.

_You're safe, Peter. Thank you._

He started to calm, swallowing hard as he opened his eyes and found himself back at the scene of everything. The blood stain was gone and the cement floor back to it's original state before the incident. Peter was crouched over the site as he felt a lump in his throat and a pain in his chest. The evidence was gone along with his friend and partner.

_Peter..._

The agent perked up, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. He slowly rose to his feet without turning. He didn't want to ruin the moment or make it end by turning around. When he didn't hear the voice again he thought maybe it had been his imagination till he felt the hand on his shoulder and turned.

_Neal?_

Peter found himself suddenly looking up at a blinding light, blurry figures moving down and towards him as they spoke to him. Wasn't he just somewhere else? His mind was confused as he felt someone cut away the ties around his wrists and ankles. The tape was pulled from his lips and he spit out the rags and took an audible gasp of breath. The blurry forms began to clear up and he realized Diana was crouched beside him as was Jones.

"Di... an... a?"

The agent smiled at him as did Jones as he tried to sit up and they helped him lean against a nearby column.

"I leave you for one week..."

He nodded up at her and smiled slightly although something in the back of his mind bothered him. His head was still a bit fuzzy from the chloroform as he was helped to his feet. He could barely stand as both agents helped him over to some paramedics and a gurney. Peter held up a hand but they insisted, the EMTs checking him over. They asked him about the bump to his head and he told them it was from earlier in the day and unrelated. They nodded continuing to check him over till they were satisfied and Peter was able to escape with Diana's help to a nearby box to sit.

"Boss... They caught Vicconi and Gerald. Hughes isn't very happy how they did it but it happened."

She pointed back towards the director who was in the background talking animatedly with some of NYPD's best. Peter frowned wondering how they had gotten here so fast. Then he remembered.

"Mozzie!"

He was looking around, standing up despite the weakness from his head injury and being drugged. Jones and Diana tried to calm him.

"He's fine. The little guy is over there..."

Both agents looked a bit more solemn and serious suddenly as all heads turned towards a figure in the corner sitting by a gurney with a sheet over it. Peter's heart broke as he stumbled towards the con man and what he hoped wasn't true.

"He tried, Neal. Pe... Hey Suit."

The little guy stopped his talking to a still figure as he wiped at his eyes beneath his glasses and stood up a bit stiffly. Peter put a hand on Mozzie's shoulder, squeezing softly as he tried not to cry. Mozzie had pulled the sheet aside to where you could see Neal's face, the young man's face ashy despite looking like he might just be sleeping. Peter crouched down beside the figure and took one cool limp hand in his from beneath the sheet.

"I told him you tried, Suit. He never blamed you for what happened."

The way Mozzie spoke as if Neal was really there made his feelings that much worse. Neal was dead. It had been over a week... He took the young man's face in his hands and cupped it gently, smoothing back a dark lock from his forehead.

_I'm so sorry, Neal. I never meant to leave you behind. Thank you._

Peter blinked as he looked up trying to figure out what had dripped onto this hands when he saw it. There were tears though only a few dripping from Neal's closed eyes. He turned to Mozzie and poked him.

"Mozz... call the paramedics over. Hurry!"

The little guy nodded seeing what he saw and waving the men in blue paramedics suits down. One came trotting over to ask what they needed when Peter pointed out what was happening. The man shrugged, rubbing at his chin sadly.

"Uhm... sometimes they do that. You'd be surprised."

Peter felt frustration and anger rise over him as he stood and grasped the young EMT's arms and shook him slightly.

"Bring a monitor. Check his vitals again!"

The EMT looked at him funny, backing away as if scared but ran back over to his buddy and he watched them chat animatedly before one of them walked away out of sight. They weren't going to help? He'd check himself as Peter listened to his friend's chest with his ear but heard nothing. He kept checking, feeling for a pulse but Neal's skin was icy to the touch though still soft. There was no rigor mortis. The agent kept trying as Hughes finally walked over. Mozzie poked him.

"Uhm Suit..."

Mozzie looked nervous as he backed away a bit and Peter glanced up.

"He's alive, Reese. There are tears falling from his eyes. It's a sign!"

The older agent nodded but his expression was easily read.

"Peter... let him go. I'm sorry but they already checked him up and down. He's gone. Please... Elizabeth is at home waiting for you. I'll have Diana or Jones take you home."

He knew Reese was mad at him for coming down here on his own. The agent was only being nice due to the circumstances and yet Peter shook his head, clinging to his partner. Neal was alive and he was going to prove it. He saw the EMT he had shaken coming back a bit nervously.

"Sir... I'll check one more time but there were no readings the last time and that was only a few minutes ago."

The paramedic shrugged helplessly at Hughes as the agent nodded for him to continue. Peter waited as they hooked the monitoring device to Neal's index finger and waited. There was a low alarm sound, a long beep but nothing else. The paramedic looked both unhappy and relieved.

"I'm sorry. He's not... wait a second."

The paramedic shook the box then glanced down at the still figure and finally his eyes widened as there was a little '_ping_' kind of sound from the box followed by a long low beep and then another ping some minutes later.

"There's a pulse. I don't know why it didn't pick up before. It's weak... but it's there!"

The EMT flushed slightly, starting to check Neal's vitals as if for the first time. Peter watched the man feeling around the neck, wrists and putting his ear to the con's bare chest. He started and smiled ever so slightly, an apologetic look on his face.

"He's alive... (_I don't know how but_) I heard a very faint heart beat!"

The man seemed to have forgiven Peter his earlier attitude towards him as the second EMT came to help with Neal and stabilize him. Peter wanted to ride back to the hospital with him and the EMTs allowed it.

"Reese... Tell Elizabeth where I am."

Peter knew he was going to be in trouble for what he'd done but it had been worth it to know Neal was alive. The older agent didn't look happy but he was understanding as he nodded.

"We'll talk about this later. Take care of him."

**()()()**

The trip to the ER was no less than nerve wracking. Peter sat beside his friend as the EMTs worked on him, the monitors giving a very short set of beeps indicating he did have a pulse but a very slow one. Peter held the young man's hand, cool skin wrapped in his own warm hands. He wanted the con to squeeze back and let him know he was conscious of him but he knew Neal was at best comatose if not worse, and he didn't want to think about that situation.

They reached the hospital quickly, Diana having run interference for them as she met up with Peter as they took the pale limp form of the consultant into the OR and left them behind.

"He'll be ok, boss. If he made it for this long, he'll survive."

She put a comforting arm around him but he could only think of his partner fighting for his life in the rooms beyond.

**()()()**

Peter finally let Diana lead him to a seat in the waiting room where the agent passed out at some point. He woke up to someone gently hugging him, his head leaning on someone soft, their hand brushing at his hair.

"Hey hon..."

He heard Elizabeth's voice as he opened his eyes and smiled sadly up at her. He was grateful she was there, hugging her to him as he started to wake up.

"Hey hon... when did you get here?"

Peter felt badly for not being awake when she showed but she just shrugged.

"About an hour ago. Diana went home. They're still working on Neal. He lost quite a bit of blood and they've been giving him transfusions. The nurse told me under the circumstances it may be another day or two before they know if he'll be ok and even then..."

She sniffled some, wiping with a tissue at her eyes and nose. The idea of losing Neal again when they'd just found him was heartbreaking but the young man had made it this far, they could only hope for a miracle.

Peter pulled his wife closer to him and hugged her tight, kissing her before he lay his head on her shoulder.

"I feel like this is my fault. I could have taken an agent with me instead. Someone with more experience..."

She turned his head to look at her as he wiped at his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault honey. You know that. He took a chance trying to warn you. It was nobody's fault."

He nodded but until he could actually see his friend living... talking and looking at him with that annoyingly cocky grin, he wouldn't be able to rest. He couldn't think of the alternative.

"Mozzie told me Neal said it wasn't my fault as if he had talked to him..."

He didn't quite say it derisively but his tone was less than kind in his current state. Peter's guilt ate at him and it was all he could do to deal with it as they sat there silently. At some point exhaustion hit him and he fell asleep again, disjointed images in his dreams of things past and present concerning what had happened haunting him.

**()()()**

Neal knew his number was up when he could no longer sense his friends nearby. He hadn't the strength to visit them or maybe he was finally on his last legs, the hallucinations ending as his body started it's final shut down. He knew he was cold and his body ached but he could do nothing about it as he started to let go of his last bits of consciousness...

_Neal..._

He wasn't sure who was talking at first but in the darkness the voice was faint, his ears straining to pick it up.

_Neal..._

He opened his eyes in a sense and saw someone sitting beside him in the darkness, someone with a gentle but firm hand brushing his hair from his face. He felt relaxed, comfortable as they spoke softly to him.

_You'll be ok, Neal. I believe in you._

He nodded to the voice, wishing he could respond. He felt warm tears filling his eyes although he knew they must be all in his imagination. This was dream, a nice fantasy he thought as he tried to wake up but couldn't. Maybe he was already gone...

**()()()**

It was several hours later that Elizabeth woke Peter where he had curled up on a waiting room sofa. He was still very tired from everything that had happened that day, the culmination of his own minor injuries and the revelation of Neal being alive after all this time had hit him hard. He felt groggy as he finally focused on another figure standing there before them.

"Mr. Burke? My name is Dr. Andres. I was working on your friend, Mr. Caffrey..."

Peter perked up a bit, El keeping him seated under the circumstances as she held his hand or maybe he was clinging to hers. When the doctor knew he had both of their attention he continued.

"Considering the length of time your friend was away from medical care and the amount of blood lost... he's still in critical condition. We managed to replenish as much of his blood as we possibly could and will continue transfusions as his body needs them. His wound was generally minor but it had nicked a lung and an artery, mostly why he lost so much blood initially. We fixed the lung although it had mostly began to heal as the artery did on it's own as his blood clotted..."

The physician went on about all the complications of blood loss and the injury which had gone clean through which had helped the situation. If the bullet had stayed he may not have survived at all. Peter and El just held onto one another as they listened to the litany about their friend till the doctor came to the important part.

"Mr. Caffrey is stable despite his critical state because he is breathing on his own and his heart is beating stronger than it had when he was brought in. He seems to be in a deep comatose state which is probably how he survived for so long in the situation he was in. His body temperature is slowly rising back to normal which indicates his body is fighting to return to normalcy but... until he wakes up, if he wakes up, we won't know the full extent of the trauma and blood loss. He lost nearly 2/3rds of his blood and was without liquids and food for a full week. We'll keep him in ICU under observation and let you know of his progress."

They continued to hold onto one another as they heard the news, the doctor shaking their hands when they finally stood to thank him for all his help before he walked away. Peter felt dizzy at the thought of everything that had happened. His head started to throb, temples hurting him as he sat down and leaned back in the chair tiredly. He had to be strong for his friend if he was going to make it.

"Peter... he said we can go visit once he's settled in ICU. I'll take you home and we can get something to eat along the way."

He nodded without looking up, eyes closed as he tried to get over the ache in his head and his heart. Peter didn't want to think about the chance Neal might not wake up again. It shouldn't be an option but it was. He felt Elizabeth sit beside him and pull him close.

"Come on, Peter. Let's go see Neal."

**()()()**

The visit to ICU was hard on both of them as they took turns going in to visit with the unconscious Neal. Elizabeth went first as Peter paced nervously outside uncertain he could walk into that room alone but the nurses and doctor insisted one person at a time. Finally Elizabeth walked out of the room, her eyes red rimmed from crying he thought as he moved to comfort her.

"He's so pale, Peter. I just keep hoping..."

The agent nodded, holding his wife as she nestled close to him. It was his turn to visit his friend and much as he looked forward to seeing Neal, seeing his wife so upset at the situation made him want to run away. They parted as she gently nudged him towards the glass room and still figure. Peter walked slowly, deliberately towards the room and bed trying desperately not to panic. He held his breath as he walked into the room and didn't let it out till he was by his friend's side and sitting in the one chair. They had an oxygen mask on the young man not because he couldn't breath on his own but to assist in his healing process. He had IVs some of blood, others of plasma and anything else the young man might require since he had been without food or water for such a long period of time. Neal looked thinner than Peter remembered, a kind of sallow haze to his skin now but his cheeks flushed with a slight hint of pink that made the agent hopeful. The doctor hadn't mentioned anything about his organs so maybe there wouldn't be any complications but they could only hope.

"Neal..."

He felt awkward trying to speak when he knew Neal probably couldn't hear him but he did it. The doctor had said speaking to him would help in the healing process. It would let them know if he was reacting. Peter watched the monitors out of the corner of his eye, the heart monitor slow but steady while the EEG seemed normal enough.

"I... I don't know if you can hear me but the doctor said this would help."

Peter thought at the moment it only really helped him, letting him say what he couldn't when the young man was conscious. He gently took Neal's hand in his own and held the semi-cool fingers. This was yet another moment of heartbreak, not knowing if Neal would wake up or not.

"Mozzie said... said you didn't blame me. I don't know if I believe that myself. I shouldn't have taken you there on this case, Neal. We should have had back up..."

He wanted the young man to say something to him but Neal remained still, unmoving but for the slight up and down motion of his chest and the quiet hiss of his breathing in oxygen. He saw no indication the young man knew he was there which made him wonder about so many things. Peter sighed, standing up to go while still holding his friend's hand.

"Get better..."

He couldn't say anything else, getting choked up and moving to leave. He turned and felt something pulling on his sleeve as he looked down and saw it had caught on Neal's fingers. He gently pried the young man's hands from his sleeve feeling the hand slack and wondering if he had consciously grasped it.

Outside the room he glanced back a moment at his friend as El walked up to him, her arms wrapping around him.

"Honey, are you ok?"

He kept thinking about Neal's hand grasping his sleeve, nodding with a slight smile.

"Yes, hon."

**()()()**

It was a long first week of waiting and visiting with Neal since Peter was off of work. Three days after they'd found the consultant Reese came by Peter's house to talk to him about what happened. It wasn't a good talk considering Peter had gone in alone and without a search warrant to look for Caffrey. Peter agreed he had been rash and should have called for backup but he had been caught up in the moment and wanted to see his partner found. He had no excuse other than he had been worried about Gerald and Vicconi taking Neal's body and hiding it somewhere they would never find it. Hughes agreed off the record with him and his methods but on the record he had to write it down due to the higher ups getting involved as well as NYPD. Peter understood his boss' side of things and they talked a while longer after that, Reese telling him he hoped the young man would make it through ok and he would keep him in his thoughts.

"You remember our talk from the roof, Peter? I think Caffrey is rubbing off on you a bit too much. I keep wondering if this was a good idea having him integrate into our department as much as he has..."

Peter had a tragic thought as he heard those words, his expression obviously conveying it as Hughes held up a hand and smiled kindly.

"I'm just saying... but he has had a remarkable turn around since that first day. Our people have taken a liking to him and he's part of the team. He's obviously trying to fit in and he brings some fresh ideas to the front. Don't mind me. It's the Agent talking."

He relaxed, smiling at his friend and nodding.

"Thank you Reese. He's a smart guy and I think with some more time he could be more than just a CI."

Hughes nodded with a slight wink as they stood and Peter walked him to the door.

"Tell Elizabeth I'm sorry I missed her. I guess she's already at the event?"

Peter nodded wishing he had been able to go but he still had a bit of that knot on his head from last week along with some ugly bruising from rolling down the stairs at June's. He looked like a tortoise shell cat if not a patchwork quilt. Reese gently squeezed his shoulder.

"Let me know if you hear anything about Caffrey."

He sounded like he was worried more for him if Neal didn't make it considering the length of time the con had been hurt and out of commission. Peter nodded trying not to break down.

"I will. The doctors say he's doing well but he's still in a coma. They can only hope he will come out of it soon. His body is already starting to heal they said which is a good sign and he is breathing on his own..."

Reese nodded and they said their good-byes as Peter waved and closed the door. He leaned on it a moment, sliding down to the floor and sitting there in the entrance. Satchmo padded over and sat beside him, a curious look on the dog's face as he reached to pet him.

"You think he's going to be ok, don't you Satch? Neal's going to wake up any time now."

The dog made a slight snuffling noise as if to say "_certainly_" before he perked up an ear and turned as if hearing something. Peter looked to see where the dog was going, standing when he saw the lab staring at the backdoor attentively. Peter stood up slowly, walking quietly over to the door and opening up the curtains. He blinked before opening door and staring at the figure there.

"Hey Suit..."

Peter smiled, actually happy to see the little guy as he motioned him inside past the attentive Satchmo who watched them both curiously before going back to his pillow.

"That dog of yours is pretty smart. He found Neal and he found you. I grabbed him up the other day and gave him to your Junior Agent to take home. I see he came home safely."

The agent wasn't sure why the little guy was there unless he hadn't been to the hospital which was probably what brought him here.

"He's still in a coma. They say he's healing fine, his body is doing good but he still hasn't waken up. It's up to him at this point."

Peter moved to the dining room table then turned back to the kitchen as Mozzie followed him and he opened the fridge and grabbed two beers. The con took the second one as they sat at the table and just drank in silence. It must have been too much for Mozzie as he finally coughed to get the agent's attention.

"Peter... do you think..."

He was surprised the little guy used his name but didn't say anything for fear of scaring him more than he already seemed scared of whatever he was trying to ask. Peter took a long pull of his beer and shrugged uncertainly when Mozzie didn't finish.

"You know what I know. Neal... they said it's a miracle he lasted the week but once his wounds clotted that was all that kept him from losing the other third of his blood he still had left when we found him."

He didn't say much else, slumping some as he drank the rest of the beer, stood and went to the fridge for another, bringing a second for Mozzie who declined.

"I'm good."

**()()()**

It was three hours later Elizabeth showed up at her home to find a very curious scene. Mozzie was sitting in a chair petting Satch while Peter lay snoring on the sofa looking a little worse for wear but happier. She quietly removed her heels at the door, dropping her purse there as she whispered to the con man.

"_Hey Mozzie..._"

He made a signal for her to follow him, El closing the door and locking it before padding after the little guy to the kitchen where Mozzie pointed at the sink. El blinked at the number of beer bottles there. Peter drank beer but in this quantity?

"What were you boys talking about?"

As if she didn't know as he made an obvious frown and he pointed to a barely touched bottle on the counter.

"That one was mine. I don't drink the stuff but I was trying to blend in with your husband. I think he's still got some issues with what happened. I told him Neal doesn't blame him."

El peeked around to make sure they weren't waking her husband up before she spoke again.

"You sound like you spoke to Neal recently, Mozzie."

She was upset about the young man's condition as she gave a heavy sigh and sat on a stool by the island in the middle of the kitchen. Mozzie joined her.

"I had a dream while he was missing. He told me that Peter was blaming himself and he shouldn't. It was a very vivid dream. It felt like he was there."

El nodded at him, thinking back to her own experience when Peter had fallen down the stairs at June's. She'd had a strange dream of Neal talking to her. Telling her she had to go to June's.

"Mozzie... I had a dream that day when Peter fell. Neal was talking to me and told me I had to go to June's. I woke up not certain what to think when you called me immediately afterwards. It can't be a coincidence."

He shrugged with a kind of uncertainty in his eyes.

"I've never been one for psychic stuff but I do believe the government has programs to study it. Things like remote viewing, mind control and the stuff in the movie _Scanners_ and _Firestarter_. People can do a lot with their minds if they set themselves up for it."

She smirked at him a moment thinking they were both being silly about everything when she heard a sound from the other room.

"Ugh... my head."

El walked out into the den and hugged her husband as he started to come to. He sounded off, his voice slurring a bit as she helped him sit up.

"Mozzie was here... I think and we were drinking... well I was. He's stingy and only nursed his drink."

He sounded a bit more sloshed than she'd ever seen him, helping Peter to his feet and over to the stairs.

"Come on Peter... let me help you up to bed. You can sleep it off up there."

She saw Mozzie peeking around the corner, hiding it seemed as he gave her a small wave before she heard the back door open and close quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

**(Chapter 5)**

It was almost two weeks after Neal was admitted to the hospital that Peter found himself talking to the doctor about something he hoped would never come up.

"I understand you're as close to family as Mr. Caffrey has, Mr. Burke. Do you have a power of attorney or do you know someone that might have that authority to discuss these matters with?"

Peter wanted to turn away and tell the doctor to shut up but he conducted himself as best he could, holding back his anger and depression as he nodded thinking of Mozzie. He would have to discuss this with the little guy knowing that Neal had often said he was his lawyer. He wished Elizabeth was with him now to help deal but she'd had a client meeting that couldn't be dropped so he had come alone not realizing this was what the doctor had wished to discuss.

"It's not too soon to talk about this Dr. Andres? I mean, it's not even a month yet. His body is healing and he is breathing on his own..."

The doctor nodded indicating that was a good sign.

"He is but considering the circumstances of what he went through, the week he spent without medical care, food or water... with all those factors yes it seems his body is alive and functioning but that doesn't mean that the Mr. Caffrey you knew is still there. If he were to wake up, it's possible he may not be mentally capable of even the basic of actions. His body is operating but _he_ might not if he were to wake up. It's only a suggestion for a worse case scenario. I don't like to bring it up, it's the worse part of my job but it is necessary."

Peter nodded knowing that the man was merely doing his job as he would in the same situation but it hurt to be on the business end of this. It was hard enough seeing his friend in the condition he was in without thinking of what ifs. The hospital had moved him from ICU to a private room when he seemed stable enough but continued with the oxygen hoping it would help. Otherwise Neal seemed to be functioning on a normal level only comatose. His brain function was minimal at best with very little reaction showing he was even dreaming much less responding to nurses or anyone else. Peter had noticed the machine didn't change when he or El came to visit although he had hoped it would to show the young man knew they were there. Maybe...

He pushed the thought aside and nodded to the doctor as they parted and he went back inside the room to sit by his friend. He stood a few minutes, running a hand through his hair before sitting down again and leaning his head on the mattress edge.

"Neal... you have to wake up. I know you're afraid and in pain but it's important. I don't want to make this decision. Don't make me or Mozzie sign those papers. I'd never forgive myself. Please..."

He hoped something would happen but unlike the movies, Neal didn't do anything, laying still as before, face less sallow than it had been a week back. His skin was almost back to his old olive tone hue although still pale. Neal's lips had been somewhat chapped but Elizabeth had brought some chap-stick for the unconscious young man, telling the nurses to make sure it was used. It looked like they had been doing it, his lips less cracked and actually looking smoother over time. He sighed, leaning back in the chair and finally standing as he paced the room and felt like screaming at the young man. Threatening him to wake up but knowing it wasn't reasonable or sane to think like that. Neal was in there somewhere if only they knew how to pull him out before it was too late.

**()()()**

When Elizabeth came home it was to find her husband looking less than admirable, his hair messy and curled up on the sofa apparently sleeping. She was trying to be quiet, taking off her shoes when he spoke.

"Is that you El?"

She finished taking off her shoes and walked over to him as he continued to lay there without moving. His eyes looked red rimmed and watery which made her more worried as she wondered if he had bad news for her. He looked up as he finally sat up and saw her expression.

"Neal's still with us... the doctor..."

His voice choked up which made her even more worried as he leaned against her a moment, something wet dripping onto her arm and she realized he was crying.

"Peter honey... what's wrong. What did the doctor say?"

She was trying to let him calm down enough to say it when he sat up and looked at her again with a tragic glance.

"He said that we should consider all the possibilities. He asked if someone had Neal's power of attorney..."

His voice trailed off and she finally understood what was going on, her own jaw dropping at the comment.

"Oh Peter... I'm so sorry. Why didn't you call me. I would have been there. I didn't think they were going to discuss that so soon. It's not even a month yet! How could he bring up that when he said Neal's body was healing fine. Did he explain why?"

Peter nodded, wiping at his eyes and leaning back tiredly.

"He said that sometimes people go through this and although their bodies heal their minds never do. The loss of blood, lack of water and food for a week could have caused any number of things in his brain. He's worried because Neal's EEG hasn't changed since day one of his admittance. He's afraid maybe his bodily functions are all that are working and he might never wake up even if his body is operating on its own."

He stood and started to pace, wiping at his face and then turning back to her.

"I don't even know if he has a will. He's young. Do thieves and confidence men make wills? I mean it's not like he can will a Raphael he '_allegedly_' stole to someone in writing. What am I supposed to tell Mozzie? He's the only person I know who's been any kind of lawyer for Neal. He's more confident than I am that Neal will come through this. I don't..."

He sat on the coffee table and put his face in his hands as El leaned forward to hug and kiss him.

"Honey... I understand why you're upset. I would be too. I can't believe he brought that up when it's only been two weeks. He is just doing his job but it feels way too soon. Peter... we did know this might come up even if we don't want to consider it."

She was trying to comfort him, be reasonable but he didn't feel like hearing that. He didn't want to be the one to tell them to pull the plug although technically it would just be denying the young man further nutrients. Neal's body was technically alive but his mind... they weren't sure if Neal was there anymore.

"I don't want to be the one... I don't want to be the one to tell Mozzie that. I don't want to tell anyone that. It's... it's unfair to all of us but especially Neal. I can't make this decision, El. I can't do it and I won't."

He looked more upset than she'd ever see him as he got up and slipped on his shoes, heading for the door.

"Honey... where..."

Peter didn't turn around, shoulders stiff as she understood.

"Take your cell so I can call you ok?"

He nodded without a word as he picked up his keys and cell and left. She felt devastated by the news herself. It was a bomb if anything to her too. She had hoped Neal would have waken by now and they'd be laughing with him again, his smirk bothering Peter and making him give that angry father look he often had around the young man. It looked like the doctor was letting them know the prognosis might not be as good as they first thought. She sighed, standing as she headed for the kitchen but heard a soft knock at the back door. She walked over quietly and peered out the curtain to see Mozzie there.

"Mozzie?"

He was looking around her, El realizing he was looking for Peter.

"He went out for a drive. He's not in a great mood."

The little guy nodded, looking at her curiously as she motioned for him to come inside. He shuffled in and took a seat at the dining table as she poured them out some coffee and sat down with him.

"M... El?"

She was surprised he stopped himself from calling her Mrs. Suit realizing he was looking a bit off.

"Yes, Mozz? What's wrong?"

He sipped at his coffee a moment before finding his thoughts.

"I was thinking. Neal's been hiding out too long. His body is technically healing well but he hasn't waken up. He's been selfishly hiding himself away and I think we should have an intervention. June and I were discussing this very topic and I wondered... maybe you and the S... Peter could join us."

Now this was odd. He was calling them both by their names but she just nodded with a curious glance uncertain if she should mention what Peter had told her. Mozzie deserved to know but should she let her husband tell him? The little guy sensed her uneasiness.

"You know something, El?"

She bit her lip then finally nodded, leaning a bit closer and not feeling happy to tell him what she had heard.

"It's about Neal, Mozzie. The doctor... I think he has a point but it's too soon. That's why Peter went for a drive. He's upset."

She paused uncertain how to broach the topic as Mozzie watched her attentively.

"Bad news from the hospital?"

She shook her head and then nodded.

"Well they say his body is fine. Neal is healing but he won't wake up and that's what worries them. It's been two weeks nearly three if you count his time before you found him. The doctor asked Peter if he knew who held Neal's power of attorney..."

She couldn't say the rest hoping he would figure it out so she wouldn't have to. Apparently Mozzie understood, face paling at the thought.

"The butcher said that!"

She wasn't surprised so much by his manner as how he said it. It was upfront but he was upset and she knew he hated hospitals and the system. He looked absolutely livid suddenly which was something she'd never seen with him.

"Mozzie.. I know you've been Neal's attorney in the past. Does he have a will or some kind of plan in case of things like this? Peter wasn't sure it would be something you would necessarily have considering your profession."

She was as polite as she could be and he nodded obviously not taking offense at her wording.

"I don't think that ever came up. Maybe if he had been with Kate... He has told me he had started to make some legitimate set ups for when he thought he was going to propose. Not sure a will was one of them. I could look."

**()()()**

Peter had stopped at a bar, parking the car and leaving it there when he left as he started to head home down the side walk. He was pretty sloshed, his gait unsteady as he made his way down the street and finally stopped on a small stoop and sat. He was not happy, his face in a permanent frown.

_Peter?_

He turned at the sound of his name and saw a familiar figure standing there. His frown deepened as he turned and glared at the ground away from the figure.

"About time you showed up. I'm tired of this, Neal. You need to make a choice!"

He sensed the young man stiffen and look at him curiously.

_I don't understand. Peter, look at me._

Peter just rolled his eyes and stood, body swaying some as he yelled at the hallucination.

"You think you can just waltz into my life, become my friend and partner and then die on me? I don't think so! If I have to send you back to pri... no I won't do that. You want that. You want me to send you away. I won't give you that opportunity, Neal. You have to cowboy up like the rest of us and just wake the hell up!"

He watched the young man blink at him, a chagrined look on his face as he bowed his head like a son to an angry father.

Peter felt a bit bad for yelling at Neal but he had to say what he felt. It was all he could do at this point as the agent left the imaginary Neal and started towards home.

**()()()**

It was a worried Elizabeth who was calling around for her husband's whereabouts when she heard a scraping at the front door. Mozzie had left some time ago as she sat waiting for Peter to return and he hadn't. Two hours had passed and she called everyone she knew but they hadn't seen him. El stood and went to look out the door seeing Peter there with his key. She quickly opened it up and he nearly tumbled forward into her as she caught him and helped him inside. She held her breath as she smelled the strong aroma of alcohol on him.

"Peter... what were you doing?"

She was upset now if not worried but mostly angry at him leaving her and then getting drunk. This wasn't like him and she didn't like seeing him act this way. Neal's condition was hurting them both but Peter was dealing with it in a terrible manner.

"Yelling at Caffrey... Neal had the nerve to follow me home."

He turned and glared at the empty space behind him and she just blinked.

"Honey uhm... nobody's..."

He interrupted her as he turned to look at the sofa as if someone were there.

"Don't sit on my couch! If you don't have the nerve to wake up and come do that, don't do it when I'm drunk!"

El was worried now as she saw her husband glaring at the sofa angrily. She decided to play along to calm him down.

"Honey, he's our guest. It's not his fault his ghost is following you around. Besides, Mozzie suggested we all have an intervention and visit Neal in the hospital. If we go in force maybe he will wake up from the intimidation."

She felt silly saying it but in his current state Peter apparently didn't realize she was joking as he turned to the invisible Neal and smiled menacingly.

"I think that could work, El. Good idea. Thank Mozz for me. We could bring everyone... June, Hughes, Diana and Jones. Reese could scare a dead person awake with that glare of his."

She rolled her eyes but at least he was calming down a bit as she led him upstairs.

"Come on, Peter. I think Neal will have to think about this now. Rest and I'll have some dinner for you in a bit. Ok?"

**()()()**

It was two hours later that Peter woke up with a horrible hang over. His temples ached and he just wanted to tell the drummers in his head to shut the heck up as he rolled over and saw the time. It was later than he remembered, his memory sparse from his binge. After a little bit he had the strength to push himself to a sitting position when he heard the bedroom door open. Elizabeth peeked inside.

"Hey hon. How are you feeling?"

She spoke quietly which he was more than thankful for.

"Like I was stupid and drank too much. I didn't drive home did I?"

She shook her head.

"No but I got a call that your car was found a few blocks away at a nearby sports bar. We can go pick it up in a little while. I have some dinner if you feel up to it."

He nodded, trying to get his head to stop throbbing as El sat beside him on the bed and kissed him on the forehead. Peter gave her a funny look.

"You smell of alcohol, honey. I'm not going to kiss you till you freshen up."

She smirked at him, hugging him as he held her back.

"I'm sorry. I hope I wasn't... too bad. I don't remember much of my walk home. I did walk home didn't I?"

She nodded again.

"Yeah and someone followed you but I'll tell you about that later. Why don't you get cleaned up and I'll set the table."

He could tell she was disappointed with him even more so than he was with himself. He wasn't the kind of person that went and got drunk on a regular basis and yet in the last 24 or so hours he'd done that twice. Peter couldn't blame this entirely on Neal. It was his choice to drown his sorrows with beer (_which was rare for him_) and he was going to own up to it hang over or not. He wasn't going to do this again as he wondered who had followed him home and why he had this feeling he had talked to Neal recently. He shook the thoughts away as he eased himself up from the bed and hobbled over to the bathroom. He took a quick shower, changed and brushed his teeth. When he thought he looked more respectable (_and his breath was better_) he went downstairs, sheepishly peering around the corner at the set table which only had two plates. Peter was confused if anything as he entered the kitchen and saw El bringing out a small casserole from the oven.

"There's only two place settings. I thought you said someone followed me home or did I hear you wrong?"

He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her and she turned and smiled, kissing him on the lips.

"Much better... well... there's something I haven't told you but let's eat and then we can talk."

His wife was starting to remind him of Neal with the way she redirected which made him smile despite the situation.

"Neal's been giving you lessons on redirection..."

She just winked at him knowingly as she finished placing the food on the table and they sat. They ate for a few minutes, chit chatting about her client the other day before she broached the topic they were avoiding.

"Mozzie stopped by after you left, honey. I told him what the doctor said and he had a curious idea about how to wake up Neal."

Her voice cracked a bit on the last bit but she continued when he blinked at the mention of Mozz visiting.

"He thinks Neal is just hiding and we should have an intervention of sorts to bring him out."

She looked like she was uncomfortable with the idea of it, Peter watching her pick at her food before she sighed.

"Silly right?"

El didn't mention that he had been all for it when he was drunk but somehow he must have remembered as he answered back.

"Might not be a bad idea. If everyone were to show up and say something to him."

He took a bite of food and sipped at a glass of water feeling her eyes on him.

"Honey, I don't think he was serious at least... well it's just a strange idea considering the circumstances."

Peter took another bite of food, nodding as he started to feel a bit better from his hang over.

"The doctor said talking to him would help. If enough people showed... I want to try everything no matter how crazy before we give up on him, El. I owe him that much."

She nodded, smiling slightly as she took a bite of food and sipped at a glass of wine. He noticed her uneasy look and wondered what else he was missing.

"You said someone followed me home? Wasn't Mozzie I'm guessing..."

He watched her shake her head, sipping a bit more of the wine before she spoke.

"When you came home earlier... you were talking to someone."

She was looking at him curiously, a sad look tracing its way across her features.

"You were talking to Neal but he... he wasn't really there. You were mad at him for sitting on the couch as a ghost and not coming in person."

Peter set down his fork and ran a hand through his hair, combing it back. A smile crossed his lips as he sighed.

"He has that effect on me. Drives me nuts even when he's not here."

He was smiling fully now though the sadness was still there. El got up and moved her chair a bit closer so she could hold him.

"We'll get through to him. You will, Peter. He listens to you."

He leaned on her shoulder a bit, moving his face to kiss her as they sat there.

"I hope you're right, El."

**()()()**

Mozzie came over the next day before Elizabeth left for another quick client meeting as Peter was headed to the hospital. El kissed Peter as she told him to behave when the con man walked inside. The two stared at each other a few minutes after Elizabeth had left, no words said between them. Finally Mozzie coughed, Peter glancing at him curiously.

"Yes?"

The little guy made a motion towards the kitchen.

"I'm a bit parched. Could I bother you for a glass of water?"

Mozzie was overly polite in his usual strange manner as Peter nodded and they walked towards the kitchen. Peter grabbed a couple of glasses, filling them both with water and handing one to Mozzie who jokingly added:

"I won't nurse this."

Peter smirked as they stood there in the cozy room and drank their water quietly. After a moment Peter put his glass in the sink and looked at the little guy.

"I'm going to visit Neal."

He left it at that uncertain if the con would want to enter a hospital but surprisingly he nodded.

"I was wondering when you'd ask. Shall we?"

Mozzie poured the water in his glass out into the sink, started to wash it and then rinsed and put it back in the cabinet. Peter watched the little guy curious as Mozzie stared back at him.

"What? I don't want to leave DNA evidence behind."

Peter blinked with a shake of his head then nodded without answering as they took off out the front door.

**()()()**

Neal found himself back at June's in his apartment. He wasn't sure why he was there or where everyone else was but it was as if he didn't really mind being alone. He almost seemed to expect it once he realized he couldn't go out onto the terrace (_the French doors appeared to be locked_) and he couldn't actually leave the room itself (_the door out was locked as well_) he just dealt. He had plenty of wine, some music and most of the things he found comforting within in the apartment.

This went on for sometime before he started to feel a bit antsy. He found himself pacing by the French doors and pulling the curtain aside to see June's glorious view. Unfortunately he only saw fog beyond the actual confines of the terrace. He sighed, trying the doors again and feeling a bit of frustration as he closed the curtains and went to get out his paints and try that for a bit. He found himself unable to paint a single thing at first which made him more agitated as he stormed away from the easel and flopped down on his bed. His eyes moved up towards the skylight but the fog was there hiding the sky and scenery from him. He sighed unhappily as he rolled over and closed his eyes, burying his face in a pillow.

_You think he can hear us, Suit? Those EEGs are pretty accurate and if his hasn't moved... (There was a tapping sound)_

Neal shifted slightly at the sound of the familiar voice as he pulled the pillow over his head to drown the voice out.

_Mozzie, stop that! (a short pause as the tapping stops) The doctor said talking to him would help but I haven't seen any signs he knows we're here. El likes to keep him informed about her day but I'm never certain what to talk about._

Neal continued to listen, trying to drown the voices out till they were suddenly quiet and he peeked out from beneath the pillow. He sat up and looked around the room, slipping off of the bed and moving towards the easel again. He just stared at the blank canvas a moment before he picked up a brush and slowly started to slap color onto the white surface. He started to paint a bit more furiously as time passed, brush strokes growing bolder till he finally stepped back at the unfinished sketch.

_Peter..._

The young man smiled at the portrait of his friend, the man looking at him somewhat sternly as if he knew he'd done something he didn't want to ask about. And yet, there was a softness to the eyes. An understanding glance that made him know the agent had his best interests at heart.

Neal gazed at the small bit of illustration before he picked up another brush and started to paint another figure in the opposite corner. It didn't take quite as long but this one was harder to illustrate till he felt it was as close to finished as he could make it just over an hour later. He felt the expression might be wrong, or maybe he gave him too round a face but in the end he had to admit he had nailed Mozzie on canvas and the little guy looked up at him with both paranoid nervousness and a feeling of admiration and friendship they'd shared for such a long time. He gazed at the image and realized he had never really thanked his friend properly. He'd almost lost the little guy, the closest thing he had to family at the moment. He turned back towards the door that led to the rest of June's home and wished there'd be a knock.

He sighed when silence met him and he sat down, staring back at the portrait of the two men who currently influenced his life. Mozzie was the fun crazy friend you had to follow and protect while Peter was the stronger father type, maybe more an older brother who watched out for you and told you when you did wrong. He realized he had painted all of that into both images on the same canvas, their faces more than life like as he wished more than anything to see both again.

**()()()**

Mozzie went without much of a push into the hospital as Peter's shadow, keeping close to him as if falling behind meant he'd be pulled into some nightmarish place. Peter led the way to the room and they entered quietly. Dr. Andres was just leaving, glancing at Mozzie curiously as he and Peter had a short chat about Neal's condition. Once he was gone, the little guy glared at the door and spoke up:

"I told El the man must be a butcher to suggest pulling the plug this early."

Peter was shocked at hearing such strong words but it didn't surprise him that Mozz felt that way. He wasn't sure of all the details but Mozz and Neal had a true bond of friendship and after the little guy had been shot it had just grown stronger.

"He's just doing his job. I'm not happy about it either but I've had to tell people things that were unpleasant. It's a fact of life."

Mozzie looked up at him as he pulled up a chair next to Neal's bedside.

"Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth. (Lillian Hellman)"

Peter gave him a "_don't start that quote thing_" look shutting the little guy up. Mozzie made a comment about Neal and the EEG, tapping at the thing as Peter moved closer and stopped him, commenting about the doctor saying they should talk to him. They both went quiet after that, uncertain what to say to each other much less the unconscious Neal.

"Suit... I would never under normal circumstances and to any other suit say this but..."

Mozzie paused, looking around as if for a bug or hidden audience before he finally relaxed enough to finish.

"... I'm glad you were the one who caught Neal."

Peter blinked, looking at the little guy curious as to where he was going with this.

"Why would you say that? I thought I was just '_the man_' to you and your kind."

He saw Mozzie shrug a bit before he answered.

"I still think of you as '_the man_' but the fact you try to understand us and don't judge as harshly as some other suits might makes you kind of unique."

Peter smiled, nodding back as he leaned back in the chair and turned towards the figure in the bed. They'd been talking to each other as if Neal wasn't there or maybe more like he was there only listening to them.

"Do you hear that, Neal? Mozzie thinks I'm open-minded. What do you think?"

There was silence as Mozzie perked up as if waiting for an answer then sighing disappointingly.

"I think he's still on the fence on the topic but if he were awake, I think he'd agree with me."

**()()()**

It was an hour later that Elizabeth joined them at the hospital. Mozzie had decided he had enough of the hospital atmosphere as he said a quick good-bye and practically fled the room. El just blinked then turned as she removed her heels and sat where the little guy had been.

"I meant to come sooner but the client wants to get all the details down asap. How is he doing, hon?"

She reached over and hugged Peter, kissing him before he sighed and shrugged.

"The same. No response and we sat here and talked to and around him for the last hour. I don't know what to do if he doesn't wake up. Dr. Andres brought up the topic again and I told him I'd talk about it with him later."

El nodded, taking Neal's hand in her own and gently squeezing it.

"Neal... It's El. I wish you were here to help with this event. I think you'd like it and it's at the MoMA!"

She started going on about the art pieces listed in the set and how it was to celebrate _the Impressionists_... Peter listening as she went on and on to the young man as if he were there. He wasn't sure how she could do it, the thought of talking to his friend such as it were, uncomfortable. He needed feedback.

Once they'd spent another thirty minutes or so visiting, El pulled her shoes back on and Peter stood and stretched. He was tired despite it only being lunchtime and his stomach told him he was hungry.

"Let's get something to eat. There's that little bistro down the street Neal told us about a few months back."

El said it as if he were there and awake before she saw the look on Peter's face but he shook his head.

"I'm ok. Let's go."

His wife nodded, kissing the young man on the forehead and whispering they'd be back soon before following Peter out of the room. Once the door had shut, a quiet beep emitted from the EEG, the machine picking up a few more beeps before the figure in the bed's eyes moved a slight bit, face twitching some then they were still again.


	6. Chapter 6

**(Chapter 6)**

Neal woke up, thinking he'd felt someone nearby. He had fallen asleep on the couch at some point uncertain when as he noticed the light scent of a familiar perfume fill the room then fade almost immediately. It seemed to inspire him as he moved back over to the easel, put on a fresh canvas and started to paint again. When he was finished some time later he marveled at the portrait of Elizabeth Burke, hair braided and wearing a lovely green dress. He was thinking of a fairly recent time when had posed as Peter. It had felt nice to have someone who was his own if only for a little while. He gazed at the full portrait along with background that had sprung onto the canvas and filled it with life. He could almost hear her voice as he imagined the sparkle in her blue eyes.

The young man sighed, feeling trapped in this golden cage he'd always liked. He glanced down at his anklet but it was offline, not that it mattered when he was trapped in his apartment. He tried the main door again but it refused to budge although the knob did turn a bit. He sighed again knowing it was useless to hope he'd get out, remembering how he had tried to pop the pins out of the hinges and they'd just regenerated. Whatever nightmare this was, it was pleasant on the surface but annoyingly frustrating to his usually calm self. He grew angry, throwing a glass across the room and then some other items before finally sitting down on the couch and curling up once more.

No matter what he did or what he broke, when he turned back to look at the item it was in its original spot, neatly piled, stacked or hung and unbroken. The fact nothing changed here bothered him most of all. If this was heaven it was far from it. If this was hell... it was far more insidious.

He heard something outside the French doors, watching a pigeon land on the terrace and walk around. Neal found himself at the doors immediately, pulling the curtain aside and pulling the door... open. The pigeon walked awkwardly towards him as he caught it, holding it in his hands. This was definitely something different as he noticed a note on its leg and untied it. He opened up the small piece of paper and saw a message that made his eyes widen.

It was a very brief feeling but he found himself looking down at someone, their face turned from him and leaning over to kiss someone who lay still on a bed. It was just a flash as he saw the figure leave the room and his eyes moved to the person on the bed. Their face and eye lids twitched every so slightly, hand moving a moment then they were still again and he found himself back with the pigeon in his room at June's. Neal felt dizzy, his hand releasing the bird as it flew away into the fog that surrounded him. He tentatively moved out onto the terrace, moving towards the edge but feeling a kind of trepidation as his first inclination was to run back into his apartment. He continued forward, seeing the fog and nothing else as he peered over the building's wall. There was a soft breeze regardless and he thought he heard some faint city noise before he walked back to the wrought iron table, sat down and just listened.

**()()()**

At home, Peter finished eating the last of his mushu pork, his appetite a bit better than it had been. Elizabeth was reading through a client file and picking at her broccoli beef when she looked up to see him staring at nothing.

"Peter, honey..."

He blinked and turned to her with a soft smile although she could still see he was upset Neal wasn't awake. They were considering Mozzie's intervention idea although people had been going to visit Neal on their own once he'd been put into a private room. Diana and Jones had gone as had Reese. June had gone to visit a few times to take clothes and to make sure he was doing ok. It broke her heart to see the young man so quiet and still, El promising to visit with her soon as possible. It had been a crazy month for both her business and everything that had happened with Neal and Peter with that last case.

"Was just thinking. I keep wondering, if he is still with us what he's seeing or doing. I hope he's at least having a good dream if nothing else."

Peter didn't seem his usual roll with the punches kind of self and it worried her. If Neal didn't wake up soon or ever for that matter... She couldn't think of it, but it would devastate Peter's world more than it did that Neal was unconscious and hurt. The two men had become more than just co-workers and she had been happy to meet the curious young man who showed up on her doorstep one day to ask for her husband. At first she had just been flustered at his handsomeness and charm then curious and fascinated to know this was the man her husband had chased for so many years. Neal had been so different than her idea of a typical criminal besides the fact he was young and good looking. She noticed his gentleness immediately and never felt threatened by him or intimidated. He had protected her numerous times from danger as well as Peter and this last time was no exception. She hoped he would wake up soon from wherever he was and rejoin them.

"I'm sure he's have a great dream. Probably why he doesn't wake up. Mozzie may be right about his hiding away."

She took another bite of her food as Peter looked at her with a nod and that soft smile still on his face. His eyes expressed other thoughts but he was quiet and they went back to their lunch.

**()()()**

Neal found it relaxing the first few times to go out onto the terrace and feel the soft breeze on his face, whipping at his hair sometimes and to hear he thought, the sounds of the city he couldn't see. The fog remained without even a hint of building or anything he knew surrounded June's home. The pigeon never returned which bothered him because he had been happy to receive a message brief as it had been. He grew fidgety again and started to paint more intricate combinations on the canvas and paper he still had (_which was the only thing that never seemed to end along with food and wine._) He soon had some full sized versions of everyone he knew from Elizabeth to Peter. He moved them around the space and it made him feel less alone. He still wasn't quite certain what to think of this place. He knew it was possibly a figment of his imagination but he strayed from that thought to keep from going nuts. This was all he had and he wasn't going to give it up any time soon.

The sun never set nor rose and it was always gray and foggy outside so he wasn't sure how much time had passed since waking up there. He made tick marks on a calendar but realized each time the marks would vanish so he quit trying. Here time seemed to stand still and nothing changed. He only ate because he knew he needed to and the wine, it was just to make him feel better, imaginary as it was. He never could get drunk on it but it made him feel better thinking it could happen. He would just have to sit it out for now until something changed again. It was all he could do.

He was sitting out on the terrace, wind lazily whipping at his hair, eyes closed as he relaxed. He thought he heard a voice in the background.

_Are you certain about this? I know I owe you but he's FBI!_

Neal's face twisted slightly as he listened to the man speaking. He didn't recognize the voice as anyone he knew.

_I've already kept him comatose this long. They're going to get suspicious at some point. You're going to prison as it is. Why kill him?_

He listened, his face tight as he did so, eyes shut tightly as he continued to listen to the man speaking.

_Fine. Just don't... you'll guarantee you won't hurt my wife and daughter? I've already done more than what you wanted to keep them safe._

The voice paused and seemed to be listening to someone else then answered back.

_This is the last thing I do for you. Don't ever call me again!_

He heard a beep like a cell phone and it made him wake up, opening his eyes and looking around the fog surrounded terrace. He heard a sound of flapping wings and turned to see a pigeon, the same one land on the table beside him. He caught it easily, noting it had a new piece of paper tied to it's leg as he removed it and let the bird go. He unrolled the small note and opened it up.

_**A E P W K U**_

He stared at the letters uncertain what they meant but he wasted no time in working on them as he went for a pen and paper and started to try and decipher the code.

**()()()**

Peter had an odd dream. It was a couple of days after the initial talk with Dr. Andres about Neal and the subject of the ex-con's power of attorney. Mozzie was still looking into Neal's possessions that he knew of to see if he might have created a will or some other document to say what to do in case of his death. Nobody wanted to think about it as Peter prepared to go back to work soon. Reese had given him some more time off but he would have to go back to the Bureau soon. His bruises were starting to fade, his aches and pains too and the knot on his head had finally shrunk down to almost nothing.

The agent thrashed in his dream, face tight as he seemed to be listening to or seeing something he wasn't happy about.

Peter found himself standing in front of June's home. The door was open and he walked right in. It felt odd not to ask her permission but the house seemed to be dark and empty, his feet leading him inside to the foyer and immediately up the stairs. He kept thinking about when he had fallen down those stairs as he mechanically walked up each step, the feeling of something dreadful waiting for him up top. Neal wasn't here. He couldn't be. It was a dream plain and simple but there was more to it as he approached the top step and found himself before a familiar door. He reached up to knock and the door creaked open before he could touch it. There was a cold shiver that ran down his spine as he quietly pushed the door open a little wider and peered within.

_Neal?_

His voice sounded too loud in the empty space, no sign the young man was around as he explored the empty room. He found some paintings he'd never seen before that appeared to be of everyone Neal knew including Peter and Elizabeth. He stared at the one of his wife and was fascinated by the accuracy and beauty of it. Neal had definitely caught his wife's good looks and soft expression in the portrait. He was about to move closer to take a better look when he heard it.

_Peter? How..._

He turned to see Neal sitting out on the terrace, pen and paper in hand as he seemed to be working on something. The young man looked surprised by his presence as Peter moved to join him but found the doors shut to him suddenly. He pulled on the handle for the French doors but they wouldn't budge.

_NEAL!_

The young man was on the other side staring through to him, clear as day. Their eyes met and Peter saw a kind of fear in those deep blue eyes. He didn't understand what was going on as he started to pound on the glass hoping to break it but without success. Neal held up a hand for him to wait, coming back after a moment. He held up the note with the odd letters on it.

_It's a code I think. Help me solve it._

Peter glanced at the odd array of letters although minimal and nodded as he quickly wrote them down in a notepad he always carried, pushing it back into his pocket.

_Are you ok?_

Neal nodded making a motion around.

_I can't leave. I only just got out to the terrace recently. I think someone's keeping me here, Peter. I heard someone talking. They were afraid._

He was about to say more when everything went still, Neal's lips moving but he couldn't hear what the young man was saying. Peter tried to listen but everything had gone silent, the room fading away as he suddenly found himself awake and staring up at the dark bedroom ceiling.

"Peter... are you ok?"

He turned to see El looking at him in the darkness of their room. She was just a silhouette in the night but her voice soothed him.

"I'm not sure. Was I talking in my sleep?"

She nodded her head and he sat up, turning on a light as she sat up with him.

"You were talking to Neal. You said his name a few times."

He nodded at her words when he remembered the note he had written in the dream. The paper Neal had showed him with the odd letters. He grabbed a small note pad by the bedside and quickly wrote them down as El glanced over his shoulder.

"I... I was at June's I went inside and up the stairs and Neal's room was empty. I found a bunch of portraits of all of us. There was a particularly beautiful one of you..."

She smiled, hugging him close as they cuddled and he continued to tell her the dream.

"I was going to get closer to see it when I saw him. Neal was outside on the terrace working on something. He seemed surprised I was there but relieved. I moved to join him and the doors closed, blocking my exit. I could see him clear as day on the other side. He looked so afraid and lonely I wanted to break the doors down but they wouldn't budge. He showed me a note and then I woke up before he could tell me anything else. I keep thinking this means something, I just don't know what I'm missing though."

She nestled close to him as he tried to sort out the dream.

"You're working on ways to bring him back... and you miss him. I miss him too, Peter."

She kissed him and he reciprocated, eyes turning slightly to see the note on the nightstand before he turned out the light and they curled up together to go back to sleep. His mind was trying to puzzle out the dream and why it had felt so real. He was missing something, Peter knew that as he gave a little yawn and quickly fell back to sleep.

**()()()**

At breakfast, Peter sat at the dining table gnawing on a piece of toast while a pad and paper sat beside him. He was doing everything he could to figure out the code but it wasn't making any sense.

"Honey, visiting hours start soon. You should go visit Neal. I have a few things to do here with my next event but I'll join you in about an hour."

Peter looked up at his wife as she walked by. They hugged, El planting a kiss on his cheek as she sat near him. She had a large folder in her hands and a cup of coffee.

"What kind of event is this one? That seems like a lot for just one person."

El shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Wedding. Double wedding actually. Two couples who have been friends and want to renew their vows together. I think it's sweet."

She was smiling as she grabbed some toast and nibbled on a piece, reading the files.

"Does sound nice."

He started to think about Neal and the look on his face when he visited after the last big assignment. He'd seemed sadder visiting with them after that. Peter knew he was thinking about Kate and what could have been and this double wedding event reminded Peter of how the young man had been so much lonelier lately. He finished another piece of toast, gulped down the coffee and stood.

"I'm going to head for the hospital. I'll see you in about an hour, hon."

He leaned over to hug and kiss his wife on the lips, both smiling as he left their home.

**()()()**

At the hospital Peter felt a kind of depression hit him. He wasn't sad about visiting his friend but knowing he might never wake up... Peter pushed the thought aside as he entered the hospital lobby and moved quickly down the corridors towards his friend's room. Maybe he would wake up today. He could only hope as he made his way to the door and opened it up.

He wasn't sure what he was seeing as he saw Dr. Andres turn to look at him guiltily as he entered the room. Something felt wrong as he moved forward only to have a strong arm wrap around him, holding him in place as an even larger hand covered his mouth. He struggled but the man holding him was stronger as the doctor looked at them both with fear.

"Mr. Burke..."

Peter saw the frightened look on the doctor's face curious what was going on when he felt the grip on him tighten, the man holding him obviously trying to suffocate him.

"This is the agent Vicconi spoke of? Good... give _him_ the shot, doctor."

Peter struggled but his nose and mouth were covered making it hard to breath as he watched the doctor's uncertain look.

"I can't give this to him. It's poison! This wasn't the deal."

The doctor looked ready to mutiny when he heard the man holding him hiss something threatening.

"Then I guess your wife and daughter will die."

Peter watched the doctor debate the syringe in his hands, one he had been about to inject into Neal's IV. Finally Dr. Andres nodded with an unhappy glance at Peter as the goon pulled his head aside to bear his neck. The agent kept struggling despite it being hard to breath, wincing as the needle broke through his skin and he felt something cold injected into his body. The doctor moved away once the act was finished, a defeated look on his face. Peter wondered what he had been injected with as his body started to go limp, a cold icy feeling spreading from the spot of injection.

"It's a slow acting poison. He won't die right away."

He felt the goon nodding as he dropped Peter to the ground, pulling the agent's arms tightly behind him.

"Hand me something tie him with, doctor."

Peter could just see the doctor comply, moving to a drawer and pulling out some zip ties, gauze and medical tape. The goon took them and Peter felt his arms secured at the elbows, the gauze stuffed into his mouth till it was full and then tape pulled over his lips. He felt another couple of ties pulled around his ankles.

"Now, you finish your job here with him before we go."

Dr. Andres looked reluctant but finally turned, filling a new syringe with the same stuff Peter could feel flowing through his veins. He struggled to stop the doctor but the goon held him firm, squeezing his nose to keep him still as Peter fought for breath.

"Hurry up doctor. You're going to help me with the agent here, tie up all the loose ends before you can see your family again."

The doctor nodded unhappily, injecting the liquid to the IV and turning as he threw the items in the trash. They pulled out a wheelchair, placed Peter in it and covered him with a blanket to hide he was tied up as they left the room.

**()()()**

Neal was beginning to feel the cabin fever hit him hard as he lay there on his bed and stared up at the skylight lazily. There was nothing to see as he turned back to the scattered papers around him trying to figure out the letters and their meaning. It should be easy but it wasn't as he threw the pencil aside and rolled onto his side.

_Neal..._

The young man perked up at the sound of his name. He sat up and looked around for the source of it.

_Neal..._

He slipped off the bed, walking towards the French doors when he saw Peter standing outside near the wall. The agent turned to look at him, walking towards the interior of the apartment.

_Peter?_

He moved to open up the paneled doors when he found they were locked again. Neal pulled on them but he couldn't get them to budge. Peter frowned looking at the locked door then back up at him, brown eyes worried.

_Neal, listen to me. Listen very carefully._

The young man nodded, as they both leaned close to the glass.

_I think I know what the note says._

Neal nodded, waiting for Peter to tell him when the agent turned around to see something else. Neal couldn't see anything at first then he realized what was wrong. The fog was slowly eating at the scenery, the perimeter of the terrace slowly disappearing as it headed towards them. Peter was trapped as he turned around, a desperate look on his face.

_You have to... it's important that you... _

Peter words were breaking up as Neal tried to listen, pushing on the door and hoping it would open up as the fog continued to move closer and Peter began to fade away.

_You have to... Neal..._

The terrace was suddenly gone as was Peter, nothing but fog there as Neal moved backwards from the French doors which were slowly dissolving as was much of the room into that thick grayness. Neal had no where to run, seeing the portraits of his friends started to fade into the mist with only the main door to move towards. Neal was scared. He didn't know what he should do, fear overwhelming him as he reached back and felt the door open. He peered into the hallway, that dark blackness that seemed so much deeper than the fog threatened to swallow him. He moved closer to the door as all but a small portion of his apartment remained, the fog covering it all.

It was now or never as he turned and took that first step into the darkness...

It felt like he was falling and yet there was a sense of weightlessness as well as he finally touched bottom and gave a loud gasp. Neal felt his eyes open and where he expected darkness or the fog he found himself looking around a blurry scene. His eyes showed him a white sterile room with the minimal of decorations. He was laying in an unfamiliar bed as he glanced around and saw IVs and other things poking out of his arm. A mild panic overwhelmed him as he recalled Peter being swallowed up by the fog. Neal pulled the IVs from his arms, removing the monitors and made an attempt to get out of bed. He fell to the linoleum floor with a thud, making an effort to raise himself up. Neal reached up to the nightstand to get some leverage and knocked something off.

Neal pulled the item closer with some effort and saw it was a cell phone. He wasn't sure why but he started dialing a familiar number, pushing the phone to his ear as he lay tiredly on the cool floor.

"_Burke Premier Events, Elizabeth speaking..._"

Neal didn't know what to say, or if he could. His mind was still confused by everything as he opened his mouth and tried to speak.

"E... l?"

He heard silence on the other side.

"_Who is this? Hello?_"

Neal tried again, uncertain he could speak again but he had to try.

"El... Ne..."

He heard a gasp on the other end and then an excited Elizabeth talking back to him.

"_Neal? You're awake! Where's Peter?_"

She sounded happy beyond words but he didn't know where his friend was as he lay there but something told him Peter was in trouble.

"Pe... no... t... her..."

He was gasping for breath now, the effort of trying to speak tiring him out. He slumped on the floor, dropping the phone as he started to pass out. He could hear El in the background talking but everything faded into the gray fog of unconsciousness as he passed out.

**()()()**

Peter was wheeled to an elevator and taken to a dimly lit section of the hospital. He was feeling a bit of discomfort now as the drug or poison as the doctor said took effect although a bit slowly. He mostly felt cold as the drug seemed to lower his body temperature and he shivered in the chair as he was pushed along and they entered two double doors. He was roughly lifted by the goon and placed up on top of a metal slab, eyes looking around to see where he was. On a nearby slab sat another person but they were covered with a cloth and that's when he realized where they were.

"You're going to perform an autopsy on Mr. Burke here. Once you're done, your family will be returned to you."

Dr. Andres looked terrified as he backed away from the man but found a gun pointed at him.

"You'll do this or I call my friends and Vicconi has your family killed. He already gave us our orders. You just need to comply with yours."

The doctor shrank away against a wall, his face pale.

"I never agreed to any of this. You said to keep the other man in a coma that was it. I wasn't told I would have to kill anyone! I can't do this! I won't do this!"

Peter heard the goon cock the gun and move closer to the doctor as he watched the man turn his attention from him.

"Kill him or I kill you and Vicconi's men kill your little girl and wife. Are you willing to go knowing you killed your family?"

The doctor looked horrified as Peter saw the debate in his eyes. It was all the distraction he needed as the agent made one big roll to his feet and rammed the goon. The doctor moved out of the way as the gun went off and Peter knocked the gun man to the ground. The gun went flying across the floor as the goon got back up and quickly kicked Peter in the side. The agent groaned through his gag, the goon lifting him up by the neck and strangling him.

"You Feds are like cockroaches. You should all be stepped on."

The man's grip tightened around his neck as he was raised up high enough that his feet were dangling now. Peter couldn't breath and with the poison in his system it was getting hard to stay conscious. Something moved in the background behind the goon but he couldn't see what as his vision began to tunnel to gray and finally dissolve to black. He thought he heard a loud report just as the last breath left his body and he fell unconscious.

**()()()**

Elizabeth didn't want to hang up so she moved to the phone on the wall and called the hospital. She asked them to check on Neal and to page his doctor. The doctor was not answering his phone so they said they would check on Neal while she waited. She told Neal to hold on as she put him on hold and called Reese. He seemed worried by what she told him and said he would send Jones and Diana to check it out. Once they were finished she went back to Neal but he was no longer responding to her, only a raspy breath on the other end letting her know he was still there.

It wasn't long before she heard voices and footsteps and someone picked up the phone. They didn't answer as she hoped, hanging it up. In and instant, El grabbed her stuff and ran out to hail a cab to go to the hospital herself.

**()()()**

_Peter? PETER!_

He was calling for his friend in the darkness but unable to find him. Slowly the scenery turned to that of the bottling plant and he realized this was a horrible nightmare. He didn't want to be here.

_PETER!_

He ran through the plant looking for his friend when someone gently touched his shoulder and he saw the agent standing behind him.

_I'm right here._

It was more than he could stand as he grabbed up the agent in a hug. Peter hugged him gently back and they stood like that a moment before they pulled apart.

_I was so afraid I wouldn't see you again. The fog..._

Peter held up a hand.

_It's ok. I just came to tell you to look after Elizabeth for me._

Neal blinked, a cold feeling washing over him. Why would he take care of El if Peter was ok?

_What's wrong, Peter? Why are you asking me to take care of El?_

Neal moved closer but Peter was fading away.

The note was very simple, Neal. You know what it says. Just read it...

Peter faded into the background as the bottling plant began to fade as well. Neal found himself trying to remember the letters: _**A E P W K U**_

_**W**_

_**A**_

_**K**_

_**E**_

_**U**_

_**P**_

He glanced at them a moment, his eyes opening to glance up into to light blue eyes hovering over him. He knew who this was but for an instant his mind was a blank slate.

"Neal... hey."

Neal... that was his name wasn't it? He was confused, his mind a jumble as he started to fully come to and nodded up at the woman before him.

"El... iza.. beth..."

She smiled at him with a nod as he said it and he felt memories returning to him slowly, surely. She leaned over and kissed his forehead as he felt himself smile up at her.

"They said you're doing better. They're weening you off the drugs the doctor was giving you. It's nice to see you awake again."

She was carefully fluffing his pillows and asking him if he wanted anything. He was thirsty so she got him a cup of water and he had three before he felt better and El seemed satisfied.

"I feel... like... I've been a... sleep... a long... time."

He stretched a bit and winced, his chest still healing where he'd been shot originally. It had healed more or less but it had barely been a month since the incident in question. He saw he was hooked up to all the same monitors and IVs again after he thought he had left his bed.

"You have been. You only woke up briefly but that was a week ago. It was lucky that you did."

She sounded more upbeat than he thought she should be, his memory trying to remind him of something.

"Lu... cky?"

She nodded, hugging him gently. They both turned as the door opened to the room and a familiar figure walked in. Neal's eyes grew wider as he tried to sit up, falling back to the mattress when his body didn't react the way he wanted. El tried to soothe him as the figure came closer and patted him on the arm gently.

"Hey buddy. I guess you're feeling better?"

Neal nodded, his hand reaching up to grasp Peter's as the two men were finally reunited after what seemed forever. Elizabeth decided to excuse herself a moment as she left the room and the two men alone. Peter took her place at the chair and sat. He looked a bit worse for wear with some fading bruises and a tired look about him.

"Everyone's going to be happy to hear you're awake. Jones and Diana have been asking about you. We were wondering when you were going to join us again. Mozzie thought you were hiding."

Peter rolled his eyes as Neal smirked slightly.

"Hid... ing? More like... trap... ped. How about... you?"

Neal had managed to sit himself up a bit more as he talked to his friend. Peter shrugged, a look in his eyes that expressed more than words.

"It's been a long month. You would have been back sooner but Vicconi coerced your doctor into keeping you drugged and comatose. It was dumb luck on my part I came in when it was going on."

The agent ran a hand through his hair nervously, eyes looking around the room a moment before returning to Neal when the young man put a hand on his arm. Peter looked uncomfortable but he continued.

"They had his wife and daughter hostage or he wouldn't have done it. He gave you some kind of anesthetic instead of the poison Vicconi wanted. Knocked me out good for a couple of days before I came to. You pulled out your IVs before it got to you. The nurse found you on the floor because you tried to leave your bed and somehow called El on the doctor's cell."

Neal looked surprised his memory spotty about everything.

"I don't remember any of this. I remember going to the bottling plant but that was the last thing."

Peter blinked back at him.

"Probably best. You did a lot of sleeping. Your new doctor says the rest did your body some good despite the real reasons behind it. They're going to start you on some rehab to get you back in shape. A month asleep isn't good for muscles."

Neal made a face but nodded, a yawn on his face as he started to feel a bit more tired than he'd like. Peter mussed his hair but he didn't mind. He was too tired to mind, happy his friend was here. Something told him that was good enough for now even if he didn't know why.

"Ti... red..."

He felt his eyes close, watching his friend nod and smile.

"Rest Neal. I'll be here when you wake up."

The young man nodded his head as he fell asleep.

**()()()**

Dr. Andres was put on administrative leave since he had been drugging Neal illegally. He had been under duress, the doctor thoroughly apologizing to them both when he had the chance. His daughter and wife had been found and freed after Neal's call to El which had sparked her calling Hughes and sending out their team. Diana and Jones were out there quickly with more agents finding Peter unconscious in the morgue along with a freaked out Dr. Andres and a dead gun man. The physician told them what was going on and they managed to use the cell from the dead goon to find his family and free them. For his cooperation he wasn't arrested but put under protective custody as was his family till after the trial for Vicconi and Gerald. Agents had been left to guard Peter while he recovered from the effects of the anesthetic Dr. Andres had injected and the kick the goon had him. El stayed in the hospital with her husband till he woke up. It had been a pretty nerve wracking time but they still had to wait for Neal to wake up. Once the ex-con was awake, everything was better. Things seemed to calm down and the trial for both Gerald and Vicconi were done which made things even better. Peter left much of what happened out since Neal's memory was spotty at best. If the young man requested the information he'd tell but so far he hadn't.

It was another week before they felt Neal was strong enough to leave the hospital. They put him through a short rehab schedule to get his muscles back up to strength. El and Peter came to give him a hand as did June. Once he was up and hobbling on his own short distances, the doctor allowed him to go home with instructions for stretches and exercises to get back into shape. Peter suspected Neal was faking everyone out as he noticed the tired look beneath the shiny smile he flashed the doctor, nurses and therapist. It faded once they were alone and Peter glanced at his partner curiously. He never mentioned it knowing Neal wanted out of the hospital if nothing else. El was going to be home that first week after he was released so Neal stayed with them. She helped him with his exercises and they walked Satchmo up and down the block till he wasn't hobbling so much and his body seemed to be firming up some, the little bit of sallow color leaving his cheeks. He seemed happier but it was apparent he missed his apartment at June's so Peter took him at the end of the week back to his own place.

"Feels like I never left it."

Neal felt a kind of flash back of having been here while he was out of commission but it didn't make much sense to him. He had this odd urge to look for some new portraits he made but when he didn't find the items where he thought they'd be he saw the look on Peter's face.

"Missing something?"

He shook his head before walking over to the terrace doors and gingerly touching the lock and knob. They opened easily, something he thought they wouldn't do. He shrugged the feeling off as he moved across the Spanish tiled surface and made his way to the wall. The city looked beautiful from here and the view was more than welcomed. It was a hazy day but he could still see far enough to make himself content. Peter had joined him and stood a few feet away.

"I still say it's _cappuccino in the clouds_ up here..."

Neal turned to his friend and smiled as they just stared over the city a moment and then moved back inside as they heard a knock and June showed. She had a small tray of snacks and what smelled like her famous Italian roast. Peter perked up immediately which made Neal grin as they helped her with the tray and sat out on the terrace talking and getting back into the swing of things. He had really missed June and she was happy if not a bit tearful at his return. She kept insisting she hadn't move a thing, Neal hugging her. It was good to be home he thought as she went to answer the phone and left the two men alone.

"Thank you Peter. Mozzie said you came back for me."

The agent blinked.

"You spoke with Mozzie? I didn't realize he had come by and Elizabeth didn't say anything."

He looked a bit embarrassed but Neal grasped his arm and made Peter look at him.

"He says everyone else was ready to give up but you kept looking for me. Said you brought Satchmo and everything."

The agent nodded, his face flushed slightly. He was obviously uncomfortable thinking about what had happened. Neal noticed, patting his friend on the arm, the look between them more than words could say. Peter seemed a bit flustered as he redirected a bit.

"So... did you want to walk down to the park. Exercise and all."

Neal nodded as they both stood, cleaning up some of the food and plates before they headed into the apartment and then downstairs. June watched them with interest, moving over to smile at both of them.

"I guess you're leaving, Peter?"

She seemed disappointed as he nodded.

"Actually we're just taking a walk to the park."

Neal had cut in, his old smile back on his face as if he'd never been away. He had quickly returned to himself despite his long nap and injury. Peter worried about him some but June seemed happy, as he was, that the young man had come back to them.

"Sounds lovely. Mind if I join you?"

They shook their heads as she ran to grab a shawl. They spoke in the meanwhile about this and that, Peter bringing up work when Neal asked about how everyone was.

"Hughes has me on desk duty at the moment but once you're up and about we'll be back on cases. My little search for you got me in trouble although it was more with the higher ups than Hughes."

The agent's face flushed a bit as Neal blinked back and smirked slightly.

"Well it happens to the best of us. We all do something we might regret."

Peter blinked back at him.

"I don't regret what I did."

Neal was surprised or maybe he wasn't to hear that Peter cared. June came and they started on their way. Neal looked down at his anklet a moment, a new one having been put on him after his hospital stay was over. It had seemed such a nuisance before but now...

"Neal?"

He looked up to see them waiting for him as he nodded, catching up.

**(The End)**


End file.
